It makes sense that the demon king would look the most like Demise out of all Ganon's previous incarnations we've seen as they express the same kind of disdain for the weak and cowardly relying on the protection of others. I'm pretty sure that this one is closest to Demise in terms of power and motivations/personality.
There's a specific phrase Ganondorf says in Japanese that, in my opinion, very closely resonates with what Demise says in Skyward Sword. Demise: 我が力を解放する喜び… The joy which comes with the release of my power. Ganondorf: 体の隅々までが更なる力の解放を渇望しておる Every corner of my body yearns for the release of even greater power. When I heard Ganondorf speak this line for the first time, I was instantly reminded of Demise.
I know NOA has some things they need to do to keep the game at a certain age rating, but it wouldve gone so hard to hear Ganondorf in english say "Ill drag you damned people to hell" like MANNNNN thats such a hard line, especially for Ganondorf
In the french version: expect for the "damn" he says the same thing: "I'll drag you all with me in hell" Another thing: in english, he says :" a mere mortal.. Would not stood/stand in my way" But in french, he says: "I will not loose against a child/kid" or something along those ligns, which kinda sounds ridiculous if you compare it to other versions XD
@@mbii7667for those lines, Nintendo would be able to keep it an E. Sonia gets literally murdered on screen and it was still an E. twilight princess went all in on Nintendo levels of brutality and that’s why it was a teen. Nintendo pulled way too many punches with totk, they should’ve made somethings darker.
After watching all of the translated Japanese and your thoughts I believe more than ever Ganondorf embodies the spirit of the primordial chaos before the three golden goddesses arrived and from dialogue it seems it was a realm of eternal combat, carnage, and absolute cruelty. He is not escalating in desire, he's reverting to his primordial essence, the reaction from the very bowels of creation trying to purge the rule from the outsider light. In His eyes Zelda, Hylia, light nor peace belong here, they're squatters in his home. And sacrificing his body and mind is actually not a sacrifice, because he is not his body truthfully.
OoT Great Deku Tree said "before life and time existed" the goddesses descended upon "the chaos that was Hyrule." In SS Demise was said to be an eternal being and the source of all monsters. He mentions his boiling hatred of the gods and launched an all out war. I believe he was fighting back on an attempted terraforming of his realm. Chaos as pre-existence implies timelessness and yet eternal. I think Demise is an eternal being because a timeline (Nayru's order) was imposed onto him, like unrolling a red carpet over a bare floor. It's in contact with all points of the carpet.
@@burger_kinghorn and Farore "created all lifeforms which would uphold the law [Nayru's order]", so it was also an actual invasion of Demise's realm by beings he would have considered inferior
Maybe you were already getting at this but I feel like your take is supported by the idea that every iteration of Ganondorf is in some way a result of Demise finding a way to express itself once every era. That’s not to say Demise functions on a specific cycle or anything but rather that the continued reincarnation of Link, Zelda, and others could absolutely be an effort by the Goddesses (or the Triforce, or some other force) to combat Demise’s continued manifestation and attempts to bring the world back to the state it was when he reigned supreme (I’m talking about the pre-Goddess era mentioned in Skyward Sword’s intro).
@@largeproblem I think it's funny to see "demise reincarnates!!!" on a video on the channel of the literal "demise is capital D Dead and doesn't come back" guy
You were partially right; SPOILERS Null is the primordial chaos that the Triforce is sealing, though whether Demise is related to it or not is up in the air.
You know, I'm starting to think that Ganondorf didn't think transforming into the demon dragon would mean losing himself. Think about it, he already manifested as a mindless force of nature numerous times, as Calamity Ganon.
In my Eyes Ganondorf just loves Darkness and Chaos and wishes that these forces will be dominant in the world be it by his own hand or by the hands of demons in general. This brings him way closer to the Japanese representation of Demise. While Demise seems to be another selfish ruler in the English version, in the Japanese he rather acts like he is speaking for the Demons as their Representative, a being that wants to bring the Universe into a state of Chaos and Darkness where the Demons have the upper hand.
@@Chris-gx1ei Beautifully said especially when you realize the ultimate meaning behind the eternal conflict between Link, Zelda and Ganondorf as it is framed in the japanese version of Skyward Sword: Ganondorf > Demon Tribe > _Chaos_ Zelda > God Tribe > _Order_ Link > Humanity > _Balance_ All 3 characters are constantly reborn throughout the ages to uphold a cosmic plan between the 3 concepts to forever maintain the Zelda universe in a state of constant flux as the world continuously shifts between long periods of peace, conflict and a combination between the 2 during the events of every game in the series. It's all part of a never ending cycle preordained by the powers that be within the Zelda pantheon.
I am curious about the extent of Ganondorf's knowledge of the true nature/power/potential of the Secret Stones. During the showdown with his phantoms at Hyrule Castle, he says to the sages in English: "Perhaps there are limits to the knowledge the secret stones impart." Or in Japanese: 神代の記憶までは 与えてくれぬようだな… And my proposed translation of that Japanese: "It seems that the memories you've been granted don't extend as far back as the age of the gods..." My interpretation is that, while similar, the Japanese references the acquisition of memories from the era of gods, which likely alludes to the period of or close to Rauru's reign in the ancient past. Furthermore, it's specifically "memories" that he's referencing here. The fact that Ganondorf knows that it's possible to acquire memories from the Secret Stones could suggest that Ganondorf also experienced a vision/memory of some sort and acquired some kind of information from that too. Possibly something similar to how when the sages met with their ancestors in an ethereal realm. It's possible to conclude that Ganondorf may have learned something about the act of draconification through this, unless of course it was public knowledge beforehand. That is just my interpretation though, what's your take on it?
One thing I quite like about the idea of Ganondorf being able to revert the world, is that it recontextulizes the fight with Phantom Ganon in Hyrule Castle, as he seems to revert the room they are in to a previous state instead of it being an illusion of some sort.
Nice catch! Showing Link visions of a more idealised past definitely resonates with the concept of impermanence and Ganondorf's obsession with what once was. Very cool connection you've realised!
Many people think that Link’s corrupt arm is a reference to a Ghibli film. I believe that the “white” dragon is also a reference to Ghibli. There is a white dragon in Spirited Away, whose name is 白Haku(means white) . So similar to Hakuryu(White Dragon) in TotK. Halfway through the film, viewers are misled to believe that he is named Haku because simply he is a white colored dragon. But at the end, it was revealed that his name was actually Kohaku River(琥珀川) and he had been reduced to just Haku(白), which has only the meaning of white. In TotK, if you take a picture of the Light dragon, the hyrule compendium just says 白龍(white dragon), and most players won’t notice that she once had identity as human. Though if you play in English they call her Light Dragon, unintentionally revealing that she has something related to light powers, that Sonia talked about in early parts of the memories. Also the uncanny eyes of the dragons resemble Shishigami’s eyes in Princess Mononoke.
I would say it’s far more likely the similarities people are seeing is a result of both TotK and Ghibli films being independently inspired by specific elements of Eastern mythologies and religions. For a lot of westerners Ghibli films have been their first or only glimpse into certain aspects of Eastern Mythology and Eastern/non-Abrahamic religions (which I often suspect that’s a big reason why Ghibli films feel so profound to western audiences) so when it comes to other works of fiction, due to a person’s unfamiliarity with these concepts/imagery/themes, they can incorrectly assume there was a direct inspiration from Ghibli, when they were just inspired by the same culture, mythology and religions that Ghibli was also inspired by. To clarify, I don’t say any of that disparagingly, human brains are wired for pattern recognition, so in absence of other reference points, it’s completely logical to notice how Ghibli and TotK share a lot of similarities, because they do! Such similarities are the natural consequence of all works of fiction that share the same sources of inspiration.
The stone tablets adds bit more to the desire and obsession for the demon world and the hatred for Rauru, Sonia and Rauru used the shrines of light and their powers of light and time to seal demons before the events of the memory cutscenes.
Very similar to the Light Spirits from Twilight Princess who arguably did the same by also banishing Darkness through the spread of Light from within their Light Springs.
@@javiervasquez625 There are similarities too between Ganon's motivation and Zant's. Midna talks about the shadow world being a beautiful gentle place of harmony while Zant complains about the Twili losing their anger, hate and ambition after living in the world of shadows(which he only sees as a cage) for a long time and becoming inferior to what they once were and "cowardly".
Superb work! Well worth the wait! I think one of your most important discoveries regarding his motivation is what one might boil down a desperate obsession with control, to feel in control, to feel like you have power, which of course is central to all incarnations of Ganondorf. You already see it on display in his choice to invade Hyrule as the Gerudo Chief. Being born into such a role by essentially divine providence in Gerudo culture as a male must do absolute wonders for a person's sense of entitlement of course... We also can guess from his depiction in the Wind Waker that Ganondorf also wants to conquer and expand because he covets the world he was not born into, the world that isn't either a freezing or scorching barren expanse of sand. A divinely ordained king, but one who rules only an arid desert. His disdain for Rauru, viewing him as somehow looking down on him, is definitely some form of projection. A king mightier than me? He MUST be all superior, he must look down on me (after all, I look down on everyone else because I am superior by birth)! And when it comes to the later parts, his longing for a world of the past ruled by demons... It won't be some principled thing, he longs for it because a world of demons was the one in which HE had control, a world where he used violence and war to exert his control (unlike the "peace-loving cowards" he sees around him now, after all, he can't be doing anything wrong, they don't like what he's doing because they're a bunch of snivelling wimps!), the world he was compelled to create due to the infinite cycle of want and spiritual corruption he is a part of. Him being excited when Link beats him back in combat is that of a man filled with adrenaline but still believing himself to be in control because he's been holding back most of his power so far. And his desperation as Link defeats him is that of a man who feels he's lost control, who doesn't feel powerful, a man who will do ANYTHING, sacrifice ANYTHING, to feel powerful in the face of this unyielding, unbeatable enemy. What I like most about this Ganondorf compared to other incarnations is that while their overall motivations are mostly the same, the way this Ganon expresses himself in these more primal, psychological and non-moustache-twirling ways makes him seem a bit more real to me.
Beautifully said although i find his "moral dilemma" regarding his apparent inferiority complex towards Rauru to be rather entitled at best as Rauru never either states or presumes himself to BE a god let alone a super powerful being pretending to be one making Ganondorf's reactions to be very lacking in self awareness if not outright childish for a fully grown adult man ruling a tribe of desert dwelling women. To me personally it begs the question of why couldn't Rauru simply walk to Ganondorf in the most non condescending and threathening way imaginable and simply tell him "yo listen i am NOT A GOD, neither is my race of goat people and i do not see either you or any other mortal in this world as beneath me in any way whatsoever so please i beg you to leave wathever prejudice and resentment you may have towards me and my kind behind and let's focus on ruling our respective kingdoms as proper kings should". The fact that neither monarch showed any initiative to try to _understand_ the other's point of view instead remaining completley biased towards the other makes this conflict between the 2 look like a simple misunderstanding which could easily have been solved with a humble conversation of equals. With all this said and done i do love this interpretation you've given regarding this Ganondorf's motivations making me a little more invested in this incarnation of the character. Thank you for this engaging read.
Ganondorf's motivation is just the same as Senator Armstrong's, where you can find a detailed explanation if it's hard to glean from Ganondorf's words. The rational conclusion is the same though. Inconsistencies in the Zonai order are made explicit, with things like forbading the Dragonification ON THE BASIS of not being good enough to hold that power. If they had some Master Yoda talking points that it's just transformation of matter, they would escape the accusation of hypocricy, but they don't. Neither does some psycho-babble medicalizing the position as "inferiority complex". You're SAYING Ganondorf is inferior to these "Gods": then gloat about it with "erm, he's just mentally too weak to deal with it, just accept it, man". No, that's actually how you get checked. And so Sonia did.
@sboinkthelegday3892 I wouldn't really compare him to Armstrong. Just because a villain has a "might makes right" attitude does not automatically mean they're like Armstrong. Armstrong is deluded in his beliefs thinking that what he's doing is for the benefit of the American people, whereas Ganondorf seems to just be doing this for his own selfish lust for power and control. Armstrong wants a world where anyone who's strong has the right, wears Ganondorf wants a world like that because he believes himself to be the strongest, therefore the only one to have the right. He's selfish compared to Armstrong, who is comparatively selfless in his delusions. Also, it's not "psycho-babble." Seriously looking at Ganondorf's words and actions makes very clear that they guy has an inferiority complex. He thinks the Rauru and his people are looking down upon him just because he perceives them as being more powerful, when we can tell from what we've seen of Rauru and his people that they're not like that at all. When you take into consideration Ganondorf's upbringing as a king chosen by "divine birthright" then it would make sense for him to have a massive ego, so him seeing people who have more than him makes him perceive that they're looking down on him because that's what he would do in that position. He can only think like how a selfish king would, and sees the world as the same. He's projecting hella hard.
"The return of the past and a world of demons." makes sense insofar that, when we remember the creation story of the universe/world of TLoZ, as told in OoT, the world was Chaos itself. A world with no structure/order. I don't think he meant to literally return to a world without any form or structure (except in the very last moments of him being conscious, as you point out), but the desire for chaos and a world where willpower and capability matters most seems to mirror that of the primordial one we see before the Goddesses transformed the world. And for some reason the Demon Tribe hates the Goddesses, presumably because they transformed the world away from chaos. AFAIK Chaos is also a deity, or more of a form of being, an essence, in Greek Mythology. Though I am not versed enough to delve deeper. But Ganondorf's desires match that of those of Demise and the Demon Tribe as a whole, even if he does so unconsciously. The urge to return to a world of chaos. I think the few changes to the script the English localization made robbed Ganondorf of a lot of depth. That is why I always advocate to stay as literal as possible, even if that means the subtitles come across as robotic. I take depth and understanding over flow. (Then again I am someone who watches/plays in original voice over with German subtitles.)
I think that it's also worth considering how, in Japanese culture, a traditional "oni" or "demon", can be considered to be a neglected/fallen "kami", or "god/deity". It's possible that just how Ganondorf despises the Zonai for various reasons, including because Rauru in a position of utmost power, other demons may despise the gods for a similar reason.
Really frustrating how the English localization just changed the meaning of certain lines completely (like the line about Ganondorf wanting a worthy foe originally being a reference to his motivation to bring back how the world in the past was, among others in the video), and just generally made certain lines more underwhelming too ("control all of creation" vs "rule this land"). If they were a little more faithful to the original I like to think that there might be fewer complaints about this Ganondorf, even though obviously there would still be some nuisance missing. Awesome video and insights, especially into all the cultural references and connections!! Quick question, at 14:53, "The return of the past and a world of demons", is he saying that the world of the past he's been talking about was a time ruled by demons? Or that the world of the past + demons is what he wants?
@@Jarino507 I should probably elaborate a little bit on my question, but tldr that would make sense. I've been under the impression from other videos I've watched that before the gods shaped the world, it was a world of demons and chaos. But I was also assuming that Ganondorf's "world of the past" he longs for was something more recent (like just before Rauru's Hyrule's founding, or just before the era of the Zonai, something like that) where the inhabitants of Hyrule were more at eachother's throats. Mainly because he talks about the people of the past usually without referring to them as actual demons (I think?), but this could also be presumptuous of me. So I wasn't sure if this particular line meant that he was actually referring to pre-creation the whole time in his motivations, or something else. Your suggestion that he's specifically talking about his time as the demon king in this line would make sense to me considering the context that the line was said in the present iirc (while still fitting with my initial interpretation that he's not talking about pre-creation (which I could still be wrong about)).
@@spicysquire3521 The line in question is said when he's facing off with Link so yeah it's the present. And yeah, given his comments about the people of the past, it does feel like he has some nostalgia from Rauru's time. At least, he admired that the sages were willing to fight. Or like you said, he's talking about the time prior to the unification of Hyrule where there was more war.
They did the same with Rauru’s last talk with Link before he disappeared where he said ''please take care of her''. The English localization really did to them dirty!
The world of demons ganondorf is alluding to is probably Hyrule before rauru descended and exorcised all the monsters inside the shrines of light, like the chamberlain wrote
My view on Ganondorf swallowing the stone is that it was more an act of desperation. At that point he was outclassed and cornered with no way out, it was either he turned into a dragon and hoped for the best or get struck down by Link.
You've made lots of videos discussing the powers of evil and how they work, what about the powers of good and how they work? I'm very interested to see the works and inspirations behind them.
Same here especially in regards to many _other_ powers of good we've seen across the series such as the Fierce Deity's Mask from Majora's Mask, the Four Sword and Light Force from The Minish Cap, the Vessels of Lights from Twilight Princess and most recently the "Sealing Power" and it's connection to Hylia and the Triforce. I would love to see a video by Aaron addressing all this many divine artifacts and how they relate to one another in terms of countering evil powers of demonic origin.
That's a fantastic idea! I might delve a bit deeper into some of Zelda's powers, and examine any significant nuances or intricacies associated with them that could be fascinating to explore in a video.
@@rastas4766 I think it's less lack of skill, and more attitudes at NoA about what their audiences want from stories. Kind of like the whole 'Mario games don't need a deep story' thing from Miyamoto that led to Sticker Star. I have this suspicion that there's some sort of belief among those higher up in NoA's localization department that the English-speaking audience want simple, larger than life good versus evil from Zelda games. That they want Link to remain a silent, blank slate, even if games like BotW attempted to move away from that somewhat in their original forms. Because again, that's what they think the fans want, and they're both too stubborn and too unwilling to risk portraying otherwise.
@ yeah I completely agree with that. It reminds me of how American translators butchered Nausicaa Valley of the Wind int binary good v evil when the original was a conflict between humans and a message on environmentalism.
In certain instances, what Ganondorf says in Japanese echoes the words of Demise in Skyward Sword, as well. Both express their joy in unleashing power through very similar sentences.
@@RyuuKageDesu This will work. So I'll start this off with the evidence of Zonai connection in Skyward sword (I'm surprised you missed the the dragon statues with long ears and three eyes) with that evidence and Master works Vol.2's timeline we can safely say that the Zonai existed in the era of Hylia because Hylia entrusted the Secret stones to the Zonai something that doesn't make sense to do after giving up her divine form. So with that out of the way your Rito evidence is somewhat lacking if those statues were humanoid they would be strong evidence but they're just birds standing straight and tall you are right tho about them not being Loftwings as they lack a tail and have the wrong beak which is not evidence of the existence of Rito however could mean that more birds than just the Loftwings were considered sacred. The crystal connection looks like a passing thought there's not really any substance to it but you wrote it down anyway in case it did so to address it its a common shape for crystals in the Zelda series so not really a Zonai specific connection. As for the hair on the statue someone else already explained that point and I agree with them that its just hair.
@@darkdagger5237 I will need to go back to look at the dragon statues. I appreciate you mentioning it. The bird statues, and the crystal shape are not strong enough to stand on their own, and never were. They bolster the whole. The bird statues in Skyview Temple, in particular, was posed as a possible connection, rather than direct proof. (If the Rito existed during this time, this could be a depiction of them; not "these are Rito, hence...") Similar to the large statue, in the Cistern, having scales or hair, the statue never was the smoking gun to prove the Zora existed in that time frame. The rest of the architecture does. The fish at the entrance, and the fact that the structure requires a people who can survive under and out of the water. The large statue having what are possibly scales fits the idea.
@@RyuuKageDesu We seem to agree on what the weaker evidence is so lets set that evidence aside for now until you have more evidence to back them up. I'm not arguing about the existence of Zora because to my knowledge there is no defined origin of the Zora and the impact of their history isn't extreme like the Zonai who founded Hyrule at least on one timeline. The core of your theory seems to be in how the history of the Zonai lines up with Skyward sword's era so could you post that timeline of events according to your research on the forum thread (if you post it as an image make sure that it is large enough that it can be read without clicking on it because I need an account to click on images).
Great video, earned a follow from me. I was a little concerned it'd be an attempt at trying to make Ganondorf seem like a more altruistic figure, as people have mistaken that as being "better" writing. But as you elucidate well, Ganondorf embodies a type of person and character which has deep roots in history and literature, particularly the influence of Japanese/Buddhist themes on Nintendo even as they try to cater to a wider audience. His pathological greed and desire for control is something that can be evidenced in many warlords, serial killers, and dictators across history, but it's also a magnified version of thoughts and desires all people have a propensity to think and feel. That's what's interesting and tragic about him, not some shoehorned sense that he's got the greater good in mind. Kudos, I'll be looking back at your earlier videos and looking forward to future ones.
Power for its own sake was always a main motivation, but him being envious and even feeling a little looked down on because "King of all Hyrule" vs "King of just the desert region of Hyrule". In short, his motives are power and envy no matter how you slice it. The Zonai allegedly created the stones, or came with themwhen they first descended. That does, by nature, make it their job to decide whi gets one and who doesn't, and Ganondorf actively proves why he doesn't deserve one in his efforts to take one... So he is very hypocritical when it comes to looking down on people given his "might makes right" mentality that has been maintained across every incarnation. However, I do find it hilarious that people think "simple villain with simple motivation and are irredeemably evil" automatically equals "badly written antagonist", even though such villains absolutely have a place in good writing as proven by Jack Horner fron Last Wish, to name one blatantly obvious example. Also Fire Lord Ozai fron the Avatar the Last Airbender, who I would actively compare to the basic concept of Ganondorf (make G-man the emoeror of a pyrokinetic nation and give him two kids, and you basically have Ozai).
In Master Works, the developers highlight their intention to depict Ganondorf as a character entirely consumed by his obsession with power, convinced that his decisions, thoughts, and opinions are infallible. They state that they aimed to convey this, particularly through his extreme facial expression after he kills Sonia, illustrating that he is beyond reasoning or persuasion.
When White Dragon (or Light Dragon in English) comes to aid Link in the final battle, I’d asked myself a question during the 3rd phase: “Did she come back and maybe draconification hasn’t removed everything that is Zelda?” I would strongly it is her love for her knight is what drove her dragon instinct/consciousness in saving Link from falling and aiding him against the Black Dragon. We all seen that when her powers were activated when the one she loves is threaten in Breath of the Wild.
As I see it, the stark difference between secret stones normally doubling the power of its user and the absolute terror that Ganandorf became relates to the strength and nature of their elemental connection. Or in other words, it really shouldn't be too surprising that the Blood of the Goddess and Incarnation of Hatred get them *somewhat* higher multiiers. Kinda makes me wonder what sort of effect eating a stone would have for someone with the Spirit of the Hero...
5:41 On the pedisuls the secret stone is on, there are two zonai characters. The top one I originally interpreted to mean "To rise; To ascend" and the second to mean "To give; To let out/outward". Looking back on the forst one though, it does seem to mimic the eye seen on every secret stone. I originally thought that the two characters referred to tge secret stone itself but now I think it's referring to its receival by its new welder.
More like a skillful warrior who is in a thrilled of battle and seeks out a worthy adversaries with such fighting spirit. To Ganondorf, the ideal world of peace and enlightenment is nothing but a joke.
@@a.jthomas6132 Yet he clearly also seeks a world drenched in chaos and ridden with monsters and demons that constantly impose conflict and struggle among the denizens of the entire world in order to force every living being in the entire Zelda universe to seek conflict and violence and so create a world where Power dictactes who lives and who dies. Think of it like Ganondorf's version of Natural Selection.
Absolutely amazing work, deserves an absurd amount of more views, a true explanation and definitive Zelda theory that is on par with or surpasses those theories of the largest Zelda youtubers. It's as if Ganondorf is this "new author" of pure destruction, endless chaos and true darkness - more than Demise it seems. Perhaps Ganondorf is this new Demise, or at least this continuity is separate from previous Zelda lore. It's so satisfying to finally understand how TOTK enhances the Zelda lore and universe of the series. Truly outstanding and remarkable work!
21:05 "In essence, Ganondorf's desperate consumption of the Secret Stone enabled him to embody an ultimate power that defiles the fundamental Buddhist principal of impermanence." Also because it's explicitly stated by Mineru that anyone who swallows a Secret Stone becomes an *immortal* dragon, "one blessed with eternal life", i.e. permanent. But then it's a question of why the Demon Dragon was the only dragon to manifest with obvious weak spots and able to be killed (he was able to be killed because the Master Sword had been bathing in sacred light for thousands upon thousands of years and so was able to oppose him despite being broken by him in the opening, but then why was he the only dragon to manifest with giant glaring weak spots? Did the corruption result in an imperfect form?)
My theory is that the stones were made when Hylia first was reincarnated. It's possible that she created them so that sages could have the power to protect her in her vulnerable childhood years. The other idea I had is that the primordial goddesses of the triforce originally made them before Hylia, possibly to give them to the people who lived in the chaos of the world before they brought order
Really love the translations from the original Japanese text, really wish NOA would’ve localized this better. Small details in the meaning of Ganondorf’s words add demension to his motivation
I just want you to know how amazing and informative this video is. I'm pretty sure it totally solves what I fealt was lacking about totk ganondorf. I enjoyed the ending and ya thought it was epic but something was very not up to standards as far as I'm concerned about the character. There just wasn't enough. To find out that this IS there fixes everything for me and it's such a shame it was not in the English version but at least I now know and it does make me live it actually instead of kind of liking it. From his acknowledgement that there was more before the current "ancient" setting and him wanting to revert it puts him on par with wind waker ganondorf to me. I feel like why did the devs make us wonder to the point that they just stated later that the timeline events we know could have still happened long before botw and totk's ancient past when the Japanese game and motivations kind of directly point to ganondorf as knowing that the zonai came after some kind of past for Hyrule was known to exist and thus they did not have like original rights or authority to be ruling? Those small changes you pointed out make him a much much better ganondorf. I had no idea that was there. And then there's his spoken words. Going from the English taking over the world to controlling all of creation man oh man epic, as you said an escalation to say the least. You can feel the power. And man I will drag you damn people to hell 😮 I needed him to say these things and had no idea it was all actually there. Thank you alot for this
Do you think Ganondorf uses his puppet Zelda to reek havoc across Hyrule, preventing the newly appointed Sages (Sidon, Riju, Tolin, and Yunobo) from attaining the Sacred Stones of the Zonai, and lure Link to a trap by playing his feelings for his princess? I just have a theory that he might of overheard Zelda having a girl talk with Sonia about her lover and knight. Thus, he took it as advantage by using the similar deception as he did to assassinate the Queen of Hyrule.
A very interesting video like your others, and spectacular visuals. I feel like your question about why he becomes so powerful isn't really answered though. While I agree that his Morshuu is being amplified, I don't think that alone accounts for just how powerful he seemingly became. I mean, by this logic, wouldn't the good traits of the Sages be amplified as well? I see it more that inside of him is a power of Darkness that is suddenly being amplified. That darkness, his inner element, was always there and is simply being doubled. Your clarity on the Japanese is insightful, but I believe that at the core of this, Ganondorf simply has a higher quantity of base elemental power in him. When amplified by the secret stone, it grows so large, that even other amplified people can't compete. No matter how sick or obsessed Ganondorf is, it seems like his base Elemental Value couldn't naturally be high enough to reach such a level merely by "doubling" through the power of the stone. So the question remains, where is his huge abundance of darkness coming from? If it merely is his Morshuu, his twisted desire to return the land to its wild state where monsters roamed and people fight openly for survival, then wouldn't Rauru's desire to tame the wild for everlasting peace be equally amplified?
@@darkdagger5237 If he had that, he wouldn't have needed a Secret Stone. Honestly, it really doesn't make sense why a Secret Stone as stated, especially with the "doubling" aspect brought up in this video, would make him so powerful. If anything, it actually hamstrings it more. Now we know that whatever power he had, it was doubled... and so if 1 Demon King can take out 7 Sages, then half of a Demon King surely would have been enough to take any one of them out, including Rauru... right?
@@darkdagger5237 Exactly my point. The "Doubling" logic doesn't add up, which means that there is more to Ganondorf's darkness going on. This idea of Morshuu is interesting, but it doesn't really add up. Currently, my guess is that Ganondorf inadvertently tapped into some very powerful, likely whatever is in Gloom Lair. That is why the battle went down there, and why he was so powerful... powerful enough that he could stand against all 7 sages with little problem.
@@PixelFusionProductions you assume that if ganon had the triforce of power he would know that he had it that is clearly not the case as in twilight princess ganon found out that he had it in a moment of extreme despairation he then tapped into its power to escape death think about it in ocarina of time link go's back in time with the triforce of courage then the triforce split here zelda went back in time with the triforce of wisdom so logically the same thing would happen here the big difference is that ganon this time was never in an instance of extreme despairation
Personally I think the secret stone just awakened Demise within Ganondorf. It would explain why he looks like him in this game as opposed to his boar form.
Not even those playing the Japanese version could come to a realization of the character motivation.. because it isn't there. The game does not present any additional elements or explanations to give the character a proper foundation. This incarnation of Ganon is unbelievable underwritten, period. If this is really at the beginning of the timeline.. there's no reason for this early cycle of Demise to be so corrupted by feelings of "hatred" and "desire for control" (original curse) as to not have a personality. Specially when compared to more memorable Ganondorf versions, like the one from Wind Waker. It would make sense only in later iterations of the timeline, where the constant defeats of this presence has corroded its existence to the point where it is motivated by only one thing, and is as dumb and blind as this version! It could even be interesting if well written. But not here.. Ganon's "cunning strategy" is unrealistically idiotic, and only works because his opponent is an even bigger idiot. So, even if this is the actual explanation of it.. it is ultimately BORING and bad.
I wonder how powerful Link would be if he obtained a secret stone for himself since he was more than capable of destroying the demon king with just the modified master sword 🤔
I feel disappointed that all this couldn’t have been explained better by just playing the game. Totk really should’ve taken place in the past with the midpoint - final battle taking place in the present and Ganondorf should’ve been translated more accurately. Another great video Aaron.
So this explains exactly why most incarnations of Ganondorf can only wield the Triforce of Power. That always confused me. He seems extremely courageous and cunning, yet I was looking at it from the wrong perspective. While he has intelligence to rival Zelda’s, he does not have spiritual wisdom and is constantly at odds with the world around him rather than accepting it for what it is. He wants to completely destroy it rather than do anything to improve it or himself because he’s so overcome by hatred. If anything, I think he’s acting out of both malice and fear. No amount of magical power he gains will ever free him from this curse unless he changes his ways, but he’s too damn stubborn. There’s a lot of potential for a future story here focusing on ending the curse of Demise and freeing Hyrule from his resurrection and finally putting the spirits of Link and Zelda to rest as well. Ganondorf just became doubly as interesting as he was before 🥰
Why did you leave out key parts of the English version of the dialogue that showed his motivation? You're doing what you do with most of your videos. 0:50 The use of "true" is implied in English. You seem to overstate the importance of that adjective. Also, that Japanese quote is not completely accurate. He says 真の王の復活と 2:00 They both have the exact same meaning. 5:15 But it does not exclusively mean "double". "Amplify" seems more appropriate as it conveys the sense of ambiguity in the Japanese. 7:32 You are overstating the use of the term 魔物 there. That exact term is also used to describe the majority of enemies in the game in their Compendium descriptions. Demon and Monster are both valid translations. It is consistent here. 13:40 Except the English states practically the exact same thing too. It says "I will reshape this world as it was meant to be." 13:56 and the English version of that line is also pretty much the same: "All these weak, peace-loving cowards running rampant..." 14:11 I will admit this is a little more subjective, but the English version of the line seemed to suggest the same general idea that he longed for the past. He remembers the past with "worthy foes" and expresses that with his line. 14:31 This exact concept is conveyed in English too with "I will crush any opposition. I will rule." As for 14:53 they clearly are the same in meaning. While it's odd that the mention of a world of demons was not included, it doesn't change the fact the overall message is consistent. 15:22 I... don't agree with your translation there. I would simply translate it as "I will rule all things." And either way, I think it matches the English it meaning pretty closely, but not as much as previous examples. And his Japanese Hyrule Compendium entry is almost the exact same as the English version. I think you kind of overstated the differences once again.
I appreciate your sharing your thoughts and interpretations; thank you for that. First and foremost, I want to address this: I do not create these videos with the purpose or intent of bashing the official English localisation we have been provided with. Language is immensely complex, and there are often many ways to interpret, translate, and localise dialogue and text. The translations I've provided here should not be seen as definitive or the only way to interpret the Japanese language. Similarly, neither should Nintendo's, yours, or anyone else's translations. There will always be individuals who perceive things differently, and that's perfectly acceptable. In fact, it's much more interesting and enjoyable that way. The aim of my videos is to offer and share alternative translations for the original text, analyse how it can be interpreted, and consider what it might ultimately mean or imply. It seems you may have misunderstood their purpose; I am not suggesting that the official English translation we received is invalid. For instance, take the part where Ganondorf says he wants to rule 万物. I translated it as "creation," which is a perfectly valid translation. You propose "all things," which is also valid. Nintendo's translation is "the land," which is also valid as the land is part of creation and something he desires. Whichever translation you prefer, there will still be numerous nuances that do not transfer seamlessly. By creating videos, I can elucidate these nuances, provide context like I did with the dragon section, and explain them-a luxury that the official localisation team did not have. I am not omitting any crucial parts of the English version of the dialogue. During those parts of the video you referred to, I am solely referencing the Japanese text. I am providing the Japanese text as it is the original and my interpretation for those who wish to see it. The same applies to the Japanese; I am not omitting anything. At 2:00, the Japanese quote is accurate. Please take another look at the Japanese and English for the second half of that quote. The differences you feel I am overstating are a fair opinion; however, I do ask you to understand that I create these videos to highlight the nuances of the original text that may allow for other interpretations, not to discredit other translations.
@@QuestWithAaron This is cool and all, but you're not addressing the crucial aspect of NoA translations that separate them from fan translations: they are official. And with some knowledge of how the process of localisation works, NoA works very closely with the Nintendo Co. Ltd and the developers. The localisers communicate directly with the devs to discuss the whole localization process. They do this with most Nintendo games, including Xenoblade and Pokémon. And there's little reason to assume the localisationa of these major cutscenes won't be on high that priority list for localisation discussions. I encourage you watch a video detailing the localisation process for Majora's Mask, where they interviewed the localiser. He discusses how he talked about the localisation and different decisions with the dev team themselves and even Mr Miyamoto San. I believe it is by a channel called the Hyrule Files or Hyrule Journals. For this reason, I see little reason to consider fan translations as equal in validity to NoA translations, aside from when legitimate errors are made however. Also, what makes me a little sceptical about your claim of simply "highlighting the nuances" is multiple other videos of yours. You translate certain terms as synonyms of their official English translation and suggest they're completely different, like your "imp" and "devil" translation for Majoras Mask. Or the quote saying "a dark power is bestowed." You seem to suggest that the Japanese indicates it wasn't necessarily bestowed when it can be the only logical answer given that the wearer possesses a dark power as a result of the mask. In some way or another, it is absolutely being given/enabled. And for your Revali video, you seem to ignore the tone present in his Japanese text. I've also seen other players of the Japanese version interpret Revali as equally unlikeable/"jerk" as the English version, if not more.
@@QuestWithAaron And for when you claim to exclusively focus on the Japanese part, why not also show the official English translation as you did elsewhere in the video? While this is also an interpretation, it is difficult to shake the idea that you did this deliberately to portray idea that the Japanese version of Ganondorf has a motivation while the English doesn't, ultimately reinforcing that factoid that is common in the fanbase. But for the timestamp at 2:00, I was incorrect with my criticism there. I realised that soon after posting my comment, but couldn't be bothered to change it at the time. I appreciate you pointing that out and giving a response.
@@Token-j1n For a large company such as Nintendo, there should be lots of communication going on, as you rightly pointed out. However, maintaining the perfect balance between accuracy and cultural implications remains immensely difficult for the localisers. From my professional experience, there will also be occasions where you will be tasked with translating text with minimal or simply zero context, which really does ramp up the challenge. I’m not implying that is what’s happening at Nintendo, it’s just something to keep in mind. Thank you for sharing the Zelda localisation interview; I'll be sure to watch it. I appreciate your point about translating certain terms, but I ask you to please understand that I am not merely translating them as synonyms. In Majora’s Mask, the official localisation used "imp" for the Skull Kid, which I believe is an excellent choice. However, it fails to capture the depth of meaning associated with the original Japanese word. In fact, there's no direct equivalent in English, which is inherent to the nature of language. NoA is not at fault here; I've never thought they were. The word simply has too much depth and cultural nuances to convey via a single English word. There are many fantastic pieces of literature exploring the complexity of the Japanese word 鬼, and honestly, my video merely scratches the surface of its depth. if you’re interested I am happy to share some I thought were incredible reads. The same complexity applies to the term describing the dark power in Majora’s Mask. While wearing Majora’s Mask, the Skull Kid becomes a formidable force, but the source of that power lies within his own heart. Again, the English localisation isn't incorrect and it does have decent implications; it's just that the Japanese word carries nuances that can't all be conveyed within the limited space of an in-game text box. These intricacies are central to my videos and what I aim to share with the community. Regarding the Revali video, I believe I mentioned multiple times that he remains prideful and boastful in Japanese. However, I acknowledge your point and I do want to ensure that I’m not implying that the official English localisation is straight-up wrong. That's not the message I intend to convey. Localisation is extremely complex and I'll make a greater effort to emphasise that in my videos to ensure others don't misinterpret. I was sure to do that with my video explaining the full extent of the nature of the Adventure Log in Tears of the Kingdom as well.
@@QuestWithAaron I guess you are correct that 'imp' doesn't capture the full depth associated with the Japanese term. I understand that. My main point of criticism is the apparent portrayal of the idea that "devil" is somehow more accurate than "imp." I may be misinterpreting, but given the thumbnails of the videos and general concept of "uncovering hidden details in the Japanese", it seems somewhat reasonable to think that you are portraying "devil" as the superior translation choice and "imp" as flawed. In fact, I didn't even know that you considered that to be a good translation choice until your reply here. I appreciate that clarification however. As for Revali, while you did show he was prideful and boastful, I feel like you didn't demonstrate that he was also what many would consider a "jerk" in Japanese too, when many did interpret JP Revali as such. Looking at your comments so far here, I think your analysis is much better than how I interpreted your analysis in your videos. From the acknowledgement of NoA's translations being reasonable to your clear understanding of the localisation process, I feel like if you incorporate these aspects into your videos more often, it'll separate you from the anti localisation community, as you are clearly not in that department. There seems to be more objectivity which I praise. I appreciate that you're taking my criticism on board and I hope you go through with what you said about avoiding misinterpretations. Because a number of people in your comments seem to be of the anti localisation community, whose understanding of the localisation process and how Japanese works are much inferior to yours as you've demonstrated. You've actually positively changed my perception of your channel and you quite a bit as a result lmao.
Totk link is insanely powerful. He took down ganon amped by the secret stone while 7 sages couldn’t do it while they each had a secret stone. Link only had 2 royal spears fused together (that’s canon).
I used to think that he was most similar to Demise in appearance because he really was heartless. At least the original ganondorf had real feeling, he wanted good for his people and even respected link. This ganon doesn’t care, he’s honestly worse than even mindless ganon from fallen hero timeline.
I wonder if the long chain of losses by all who are named "Ganon" or "Ganondorf" will ever become part of the lore of the Gerudo. Ganondorf's followers should be sharing this with him: "yah dude, of course the most powerful should be king, but that is never anyone named Ganondorf, like ever, so you need to chill out. If you don't, we're gonna ask you to have a Last Will & Testament made up, because it'll be the end of you."
Ganondorf before obtaining the secret stone was pretty much a mortal man, powerful and magical but still mortal. After obtaining the secret stone he's true power was released. He pretty much became the original demon king Demise, hence his ridiculous power.
Whoa, whoa, whoa... Blue, RED, Yellow, White & Black? Elements? CREATION?! I know this is a Zelda video, not Pokémon, however, I need to work this out, but, that means Palkia isn't Pink or Purple, but, RED?! Dialga represents Time... Blue Dragon... Palkia represent Space... Red Dragon... Giratina represents ANTIMATTER... Yellow Dragon... Zekrom represents Truth... Black Dragon... Reshiram represents Ideals... White Dragon... That explains why they are those colors. Also, the latter two represent Taoism.
Speaking of shouki, did Ganondorf learned to master it under the tutelage of Kotake and Koume. And whether or not they follow the same buddhist ideology as depicted in your video? Having No Twinrova in the story had been a wasted opportunity in Tears of the Kingdom. And it would of been nice if Nintendo dives deeper into his character of who he is before the Gerudo King is consumed with the obsession of power.
Since there are no dialogues or diaries in the english translation of Tears of the Kingdom that even allude to Ganondorf having learned to master shouki from the new reincarnations of Koume and Kotake i have to assume that no such information is also present in the japanese version of the game. That said i myself don't know japanese so i can't say with certainty that Nintendo of Japan couldn't have added a dialogue, diary page or something in the game which suggests Koume and Kotake mentored Ganondorf in shouki. Perhaps Aaron has something to say in the matter.
This video misrepresents things so badly. There were parts where they did questionable decisions, but the idea that Ganondorf's motivation is different is a pure myth. If you read the English version of those quotes, it will make more sense (the two from around ten minutes to 12 minutes in). And he highlights mostly minor differences and then exaggerates them greatly.
Wait a darn minute if the White Dragon is known for Speed then why is Reshiram so damn slow?! (90 base speed for a Legendary Dragon) Darn you Pokemon company you missed a perfectly good opportunity there. I mean reading Bulbapedia would probably tell me but dang. Also this is a fantastic video by the way. I'm so glad i found this channel. The English version really bastardized this game didnt they? I cant wait to watch your other videos. Though its getting late so maybe I'll do that tomorrow. Cheers!
Haha I haven't done much research into Pokémon, but I'd bet it would have to do with something related to it's design. Many dragons found within Japanese mythology are often depicted like snakes or serpents with a distinct lack of wings unlike those found in Western cultures. I believe this could be a potential contributing answer to your question (it could be that there's some in-game lore within the Pokémon universe as well)! I really appreciate that, thank you!! Translation is... Extremely complex to say the least, so in general I avoid placing any blame on those who were involved. Instead my purpose with these videos is to share additional translations, and interpretations of the Japanese text and discuss the components/nuances/details of text that are a challenge to transfer between languages ^^
@@QuestWithAaron Haha as for the Pokemon thing that was just for my sense of humor. Though I DO wish we had gotten Link's journal entries at least in an additional add on somewhere in a guidebook in the English translation if they weren't going to use that in the quest log function in the OG BOTW. I mean we DID get the Hyrule Compendium I don't see why we couldn't get that little additional Easter Egg or something about links journals that would have been a great way to integrate it. (I've seen that in your videos apparently a few years ago I just forgot. That one was fantastic as well.) I have a very, very, basic understanding of Japanese and Japanese grammar, a very very basic understanding and can recognize a very bare minimum of Kanji. Not from memory, and I don't have anything on my keyboard that can type anything out. I mainly can speak it but not in my area does anyone speak Japanese, so I don't really have a proper speaking partner. I can't write any full--Japanese sentence IN* the written language but in Romanji I can recognize most of it. Again I'm American and a majority of the people in my area aren't Japanese, so for practical every day use its not gonna be common to help someone as my parents don't really encourage me using it. (Spanish is probably going to be a secondary language here eventually T_T") But I just kinda want to have a hobby. You know?
All the power to you! That is so awesome you've learnt some Japanese. What do you think about trying some online apps like to perhaps meet a language partner? If you're interested, I think that the Link's Awakening remake on the switch is a fantastic game to get into for beginners in Japanese. The language used in that game is very simple, and, as it was originally a game boy game, you can still enjoy the game enough without having to cycle through walls of text (like in TotK for example), which I think can be especially tiring to do when you're still in the early stages of language learning.
@@QuestWithAaron Maybe one day in the future I can get a language speaking partner, but I'll look into the Links Awakening thing for a study reference. I'm just not so good at talking to strangers so I kinda study alone. I'm kinda a recluse personally and have very few close in-person friends I meet up with. Maybe there would be something in my area I could find if I look hard enough. I just get really nervous when I get tired due to my physical health, I also don't want to waste anyone's time if they're just doing it for me and I want to make a friend out of it who actually likes me. But I'll look into Links Awakening.
I mean I feel the differences between the two Ganondorfs is why I don't see this one coming after OOT Ganondorf, rather I feel this Ganondorf is the only "true" Ganondorf, i.e. the only one that is directly connected to Demises hatred, and thus I see him as existing closer to when Demise existed, not further away.
¿You do know that the second a new reincarnation of Ganondorf is introduced in the next big Zelda game coming out in the next few years this interpretation of yours will become completley void...? Food for thought Mr. Confirmation Bias.
@@javiervasquez625 Aw leaving so soon? Booo! Also for the record a third Ganondorf would basically kill the lore community. TotK almost already did that, if they do this shit again it's all over. No also FSA Ganondorf doesn't count because most people don't care much what a side game like that does or doesn't do, hell the vast majority of people probably haven't even played FSA.
@@stuffz1757 Lol since when does "Don't be a stranger" suddenly mean "i've no desire to deal with a contrarian"? Just greeting a salty contrarian into this comment section is all i was doing so apologies if i made you think something which is not actually the case. As to that little salty banter at the end of this salty ramble: I fail to see why you MISUNDERSTANDING the Lore established in Tears of the Kingdom randomly prevents future Ganondorfs from reincarnating just like their *canonical* _predecessors_ from Four Sword Adventures and Tears of the Kingdom as established in the official JAPANESE TIMELINE of The Legend of Zelda... zr/whoooosh don't be a stranger buddy.
Easy answer: there is no motivation aside from "this is what a king must do". Because hes not the Ganondorf we grew up with who had ambitions, one who wanted better for his people, and wanted to get his wish from the Triforce. Its a csrcature of him who only looks like and is called Ganondorf in name alone, but hes has 0 knowledge of Link or Zelda aside from what Goatru told him and just wants the the random Secret Stone for powers sake, no reality-warping wishes. This skinwalker just isnt Ganondorf, no ties to the past events of previous games. Its just a blank slate with no emotions investment.
@@ACW-dn9wb he never wanted better for his people. "I coveted that wind i suppose" he always wanted power for himself. Him merely mentioning that his people suffered was to set the scene as for why he coveted power. Just a lil correction there
@@svennevs5740 Except it isnt becasue he says how the winds scorcher their homes and caused death and suffering among his people. Of course hed covet to cool winds of Hyrule. So yes, he did want it for his people as well as himself. It would naturally would obviously extend to himself since hes suffering along with them, meaning its not an entirely selfish ambition. Otherwise he wouldnt mention how desert life affected anyone other than himself. Just a little correction there for you, buddy 🙃.
@@ACW-dn9wb If he wanted it for his people as well, why didn't he, you know, do that? WW Ganondorf is OOt Ganondorf and we know what he did when he got all that power he wanted. He sat on his throne, making life miserable for everyone around him and left those precious people of his in the desert and didn't lift a finger for them. You can't claim he cared about his people when we know he literally didn't. Really seems like "Fanon Ganon" has totally over taken Canon Ganon.
@@MaxM210 Its what he canonically claimed in WW, not fandom interpretation. But the games themselves definitely shows through actions how Ganon cared more for himself than his people. But then again, with the rest of the Gerudo tribe not being as evil as he is, despite being theives, they may not have wanted to pillage and straight up take the remaining homes of the Hylians. Especially after Castle Rown was a ruined ghost town. Enough townspeople are needed to maintin trade and services. And the Gerudo probably wouldnt want to build in the exposed Hyrule field to one day be easlily ambushed in the future. So in the desert they stayed.
@@ACW-dn9wb Just because he said it, doesn't make it true. Ganondorf's an evil sorcerer who's malice was so strong the gods destroyed the world rather than let him take it. I'm sure Ganondorf internally justifies himself in any number of ways, but that doesn't make him honest. Ganondorf can say whatever he wants but actions speak louder than words, and we know what he did. He made zero effort to help his people, expressed no interest in helping his people, and did nothing but make the world a worse place for everyone including his people. A people who went against him the first chance a stronger person showed up. He had his mothers brainwash one of his own into fighting against her will, and then he didn't even acknowledge the deaths of the women who raised him, not so much as a tear. To him they were no more important than Volvagia or the Gohma. Sure he put their names on his swords, but thats a far cry from actual emotional action. Ganondorf has no friends or allies, just minions and servants. He can justify that internally how ever he wants millennia later, but that doesn't change who he actually was. He was a bad person who did bad things for bad reasons, and rather than actually come to terms with that, he told himself a story to try and reduce his own guilt because he didn't actually care that the Gerudo suffered, he cared that He, a Gerudo was suffering. And more importantly, he just hated the idea that there could be anyone above him, King, god or otherwise. Ganondorf doesn't care about governing or the function of the kingdom. He left the Zoras to freeze, he left the Gorons to be eaten, he left the Gerudo to the desert and would have killed all remaining hylians if he had the whole Triforce. As far as he was concerned, as long as he was the most powerful person in the world, it didn't matter if there was anyone left in the world to compare. We know the world he wanted looked like, the Dark world, the world of nothing but monsters, where the only people living in it where humans who stumbled in and got turned into creatures by the Dark World's magic. Ganon's ideal world is world where only he matters. He legitimately has never expressed any interest in any living creatures aside from himself in any single game. Even Demise seemed to have an interest in the existence of the Demons. Ganon just doesn't care about anyone or anything but himself. I mean, you say its not fandom interpretation, but in your reply, you're literally trying to interpret the actions of the Gerudo based on your own interpretation and not information present in the game. Never once is any of what you said, expressed in game either in dialogue or in action. you can't say something is certain and then back it up with a "probably".
First of all Long Time Zelda fan here hated what they did to the timeline, What tears of the Kingdom. Wish wish the serect stones were, fragrances a Triforce. Ganondorf caught his secret Stone from Queens Sonya, Maybe he inherited the immense power, added on or overrated it. 🤷🏻♀️
The secret stones definitely possess far more significance than merely being obscure rocks. Translations like "sacred stone" or "mystic stone" could effectively capture their essence in English, given their naming in Japanese. It appears that their elemental alignment undergoes a complete transformation to harmonise with their new owner. Nonetheless, it's also plausible that the influence of their previous owner persists in someway too.
I play the game in French and the French translation is closer to the Japanese version, which is really cool. I'm glad I didn't play in English because y'all got done so dirty 😔
Is this another video misrepresenting the Japanese text, like you did with Revali? I just had this pop up in my recommendations, but everyone should be very wary to not take what you say as the absolute truth, because from what I've seen your knowledge of Japanese doesn't make you a good source for these types of videos.
I don't think TotK is the worst in the series, plenty of Zelda games have had really bland characters. That being said, TotK Ganondorf was pathetic. He's cartoonishly evil. The only good thing about him is his design.
Story wasn’t exactly the priority with this game. Gameplay was. Make a rocket tank or ride a dragon, kill a Gleeok, or just wander the Depths or the Sky Islands. You’ll see that this game is far from the worst.
"You looked down on me" makes so much more sense than "This is the power you took for granted".
Ganondorf saw the Zonai descending into Hyrule and said, “and then I took that personally.”
It makes sense that the demon king would look the most like Demise out of all Ganon's previous incarnations we've seen as they express the same kind of disdain for the weak and cowardly relying on the protection of others. I'm pretty sure that this one is closest to Demise in terms of power and motivations/personality.
There's a specific phrase Ganondorf says in Japanese that, in my opinion, very closely resonates with what Demise says in Skyward Sword.
Demise: 我が力を解放する喜び…
The joy which comes with the release of my power.
Ganondorf: 体の隅々までが更なる力の解放を渇望しておる
Every corner of my body yearns for the release of even greater power.
When I heard Ganondorf speak this line for the first time, I was instantly reminded of Demise.
"all Ganon's previous incarnations" there's only one Ganon...
I know NOA has some things they need to do to keep the game at a certain age rating, but it wouldve gone so hard to hear Ganondorf in english say "Ill drag you damned people to hell" like MANNNNN thats such a hard line, especially for Ganondorf
I was thinking the same thing, this game should have just been rated T
@@mbii7667 In german ganondorf screams things like "Verrecke" which is a angry and insulting way to say they should die / perish.
@mbii7667 absolutely
In the french version: expect for the "damn" he says the same thing:
"I'll drag you all with me in hell"
Another thing: in english, he says :" a mere mortal.. Would not stood/stand in my way"
But in french, he says: "I will not loose against a child/kid" or something along those ligns, which kinda sounds ridiculous if you compare it to other versions XD
@@mbii7667for those lines, Nintendo would be able to keep it an E. Sonia gets literally murdered on screen and it was still an E. twilight princess went all in on Nintendo levels of brutality and that’s why it was a teen. Nintendo pulled way too many punches with totk, they should’ve made somethings darker.
After watching all of the translated Japanese and your thoughts I believe more than ever Ganondorf embodies the spirit of the primordial chaos before the three golden goddesses arrived and from dialogue it seems it was a realm of eternal combat, carnage, and absolute cruelty. He is not escalating in desire, he's reverting to his primordial essence, the reaction from the very bowels of creation trying to purge the rule from the outsider light. In His eyes Zelda, Hylia, light nor peace belong here, they're squatters in his home. And sacrificing his body and mind is actually not a sacrifice, because he is not his body truthfully.
OoT Great Deku Tree said "before life and time existed" the goddesses descended upon "the chaos that was Hyrule." In SS Demise was said to be an eternal being and the source of all monsters. He mentions his boiling hatred of the gods and launched an all out war. I believe he was fighting back on an attempted terraforming of his realm.
Chaos as pre-existence implies timelessness and yet eternal. I think Demise is an eternal being because a timeline (Nayru's order) was imposed onto him, like unrolling a red carpet over a bare floor. It's in contact with all points of the carpet.
@@burger_kinghorn and Farore "created all lifeforms which would uphold the law [Nayru's order]", so it was also an actual invasion of Demise's realm by beings he would have considered inferior
Maybe you were already getting at this but I feel like your take is supported by the idea that every iteration of Ganondorf is in some way a result of Demise finding a way to express itself once every era. That’s not to say Demise functions on a specific cycle or anything but rather that the continued reincarnation of Link, Zelda, and others could absolutely be an effort by the Goddesses (or the Triforce, or some other force) to combat Demise’s continued manifestation and attempts to bring the world back to the state it was when he reigned supreme (I’m talking about the pre-Goddess era mentioned in Skyward Sword’s intro).
@@largeproblem I think it's funny to see "demise reincarnates!!!" on a video on the channel of the literal "demise is capital D Dead and doesn't come back" guy
You were partially right; SPOILERS
Null is the primordial chaos that the Triforce is sealing, though whether Demise is related to it or not is up in the air.
You know, I'm starting to think that Ganondorf didn't think transforming into the demon dragon would mean losing himself. Think about it, he already manifested as a mindless force of nature numerous times, as Calamity Ganon.
In my Eyes Ganondorf just loves Darkness and Chaos and wishes that these forces will be dominant in the world be it by his own hand or by the hands of demons in general.
This brings him way closer to the Japanese representation of Demise.
While Demise seems to be another selfish ruler in the English version, in the Japanese he rather acts like he is speaking for the Demons as their Representative, a being that wants to bring the Universe into a state of Chaos and Darkness where the Demons have the upper hand.
@@Chris-gx1ei Beautifully said especially when you realize the ultimate meaning behind the eternal conflict between Link, Zelda and Ganondorf as it is framed in the japanese version of Skyward Sword:
Ganondorf > Demon Tribe > _Chaos_
Zelda > God Tribe > _Order_
Link > Humanity > _Balance_
All 3 characters are constantly reborn throughout the ages to uphold a cosmic plan between the 3 concepts to forever maintain the Zelda universe in a state of constant flux as the world continuously shifts between long periods of peace, conflict and a combination between the 2 during the events of every game in the series.
It's all part of a never ending cycle preordained by the powers that be within the Zelda pantheon.
he literally said he would give up his mind and body before eating the stone tho. he definetely knew what would happen
he loses what makes up his personality and ego which is normally what people identify with.
I am curious about the extent of Ganondorf's knowledge of the true nature/power/potential of the Secret Stones.
During the showdown with his phantoms at Hyrule Castle, he says to the sages in English:
"Perhaps there
are limits to the knowledge the secret
stones impart."
Or in Japanese:
神代の記憶までは 与えてくれぬようだな…
And my proposed translation of that Japanese:
"It seems that the memories you've been granted don't extend as far back as the age of the gods..."
My interpretation is that, while similar, the Japanese references the acquisition of memories from the era of gods, which likely alludes to the period of or close to Rauru's reign in the ancient past.
Furthermore, it's specifically "memories" that he's referencing here. The fact that Ganondorf knows that it's possible to acquire memories from the Secret Stones could suggest that Ganondorf also experienced a vision/memory of some sort and acquired some kind of information from that too. Possibly something similar to how when the sages met with their ancestors in an ethereal realm. It's possible to conclude that Ganondorf may have learned something about the act of draconification through this, unless of course it was public knowledge beforehand. That is just my interpretation though, what's your take on it?
One thing I quite like about the idea of Ganondorf being able to revert the world, is that it recontextulizes the fight with Phantom Ganon in Hyrule Castle, as he seems to revert the room they are in to a previous state instead of it being an illusion of some sort.
Nice catch! Showing Link visions of a more idealised past definitely resonates with the concept of impermanence and Ganondorf's obsession with what once was. Very cool connection you've realised!
I'm trying to understand, your saying the paintings in the forest temple that Ganon comes in and out of were a past hyrule?
@@jessemartin1876Not that Phantom Ganon.
Many people think that Link’s corrupt arm is a reference to a Ghibli film. I believe that the “white” dragon is also a reference to Ghibli.
There is a white dragon in Spirited Away, whose name is 白Haku(means white) . So similar to Hakuryu(White Dragon) in TotK. Halfway through the film, viewers are misled to believe that he is named Haku because simply he is a white colored dragon. But at the end, it was revealed that his name was actually Kohaku River(琥珀川) and he had been reduced to just Haku(白), which has only the meaning of white.
In TotK, if you take a picture of the Light dragon, the hyrule compendium just says 白龍(white dragon), and most players won’t notice that she once had identity as human. Though if you play in English they call her Light Dragon, unintentionally revealing that she has something related to light powers, that Sonia talked about in early parts of the memories.
Also the uncanny eyes of the dragons resemble Shishigami’s eyes in Princess Mononoke.
I would say it’s far more likely the similarities people are seeing is a result of both TotK and Ghibli films being independently inspired by specific elements of Eastern mythologies and religions.
For a lot of westerners Ghibli films have been their first or only glimpse into certain aspects of Eastern Mythology and Eastern/non-Abrahamic religions (which I often suspect that’s a big reason why Ghibli films feel so profound to western audiences) so when it comes to other works of fiction, due to a person’s unfamiliarity with these concepts/imagery/themes, they can incorrectly assume there was a direct inspiration from Ghibli, when they were just inspired by the same culture, mythology and religions that Ghibli was also inspired by.
To clarify, I don’t say any of that disparagingly, human brains are wired for pattern recognition, so in absence of other reference points, it’s completely logical to notice how Ghibli and TotK share a lot of similarities, because they do! Such similarities are the natural consequence of all works of fiction that share the same sources of inspiration.
I wish the malice in links arm you see when you get a light thing from a shrine played more of a role in the story.
@@APsGTGme too man, me too. There’s a lot I wish Totk did more tbh
This video made Ganondorf soooo much more interesting!
The stone tablets adds bit more to the desire and obsession for the demon world and the hatred for Rauru, Sonia and Rauru used the shrines of light and their powers of light and time to seal demons before the events of the memory cutscenes.
Very similar to the Light Spirits from Twilight Princess who arguably did the same by also banishing Darkness through the spread of Light from within their Light Springs.
@@javiervasquez625 There are similarities too between Ganon's motivation and Zant's. Midna talks about the shadow world being a beautiful gentle place of harmony while Zant complains about the Twili losing their anger, hate and ambition after living in the world of shadows(which he only sees as a cage) for a long time and becoming inferior to what they once were and "cowardly".
Superb work! Well worth the wait!
I think one of your most important discoveries regarding his motivation is what one might boil down a desperate obsession with control, to feel in control, to feel like you have power, which of course is central to all incarnations of Ganondorf. You already see it on display in his choice to invade Hyrule as the Gerudo Chief. Being born into such a role by essentially divine providence in Gerudo culture as a male must do absolute wonders for a person's sense of entitlement of course... We also can guess from his depiction in the Wind Waker that Ganondorf also wants to conquer and expand because he covets the world he was not born into, the world that isn't either a freezing or scorching barren expanse of sand. A divinely ordained king, but one who rules only an arid desert.
His disdain for Rauru, viewing him as somehow looking down on him, is definitely some form of projection. A king mightier than me? He MUST be all superior, he must look down on me (after all, I look down on everyone else because I am superior by birth)!
And when it comes to the later parts, his longing for a world of the past ruled by demons... It won't be some principled thing, he longs for it because a world of demons was the one in which HE had control, a world where he used violence and war to exert his control (unlike the "peace-loving cowards" he sees around him now, after all, he can't be doing anything wrong, they don't like what he's doing because they're a bunch of snivelling wimps!), the world he was compelled to create due to the infinite cycle of want and spiritual corruption he is a part of. Him being excited when Link beats him back in combat is that of a man filled with adrenaline but still believing himself to be in control because he's been holding back most of his power so far. And his desperation as Link defeats him is that of a man who feels he's lost control, who doesn't feel powerful, a man who will do ANYTHING, sacrifice ANYTHING, to feel powerful in the face of this unyielding, unbeatable enemy.
What I like most about this Ganondorf compared to other incarnations is that while their overall motivations are mostly the same, the way this Ganon expresses himself in these more primal, psychological and non-moustache-twirling ways makes him seem a bit more real to me.
Well written
My favorite Ganondorf incarnation for all those reasons. He is our modern Demise, the apocalypse incarnate.
Beautifully said although i find his "moral dilemma" regarding his apparent inferiority complex towards Rauru to be rather entitled at best as Rauru never either states or presumes himself to BE a god let alone a super powerful being pretending to be one making Ganondorf's reactions to be very lacking in self awareness if not outright childish for a fully grown adult man ruling a tribe of desert dwelling women. To me personally it begs the question of why couldn't Rauru simply walk to Ganondorf in the most non condescending and threathening way imaginable and simply tell him "yo listen i am NOT A GOD, neither is my race of goat people and i do not see either you or any other mortal in this world as beneath me in any way whatsoever so please i beg you to leave wathever prejudice and resentment you may have towards me and my kind behind and let's focus on ruling our respective kingdoms as proper kings should".
The fact that neither monarch showed any initiative to try to _understand_ the other's point of view instead remaining completley biased towards the other makes this conflict between the 2 look like a simple misunderstanding which could easily have been solved with a humble conversation of equals. With all this said and done i do love this interpretation you've given regarding this Ganondorf's motivations making me a little more invested in this incarnation of the character. Thank you for this engaging read.
Ganondorf's motivation is just the same as Senator Armstrong's, where you can find a detailed explanation if it's hard to glean from Ganondorf's words. The rational conclusion is the same though.
Inconsistencies in the Zonai order are made explicit, with things like forbading the Dragonification ON THE BASIS of not being good enough to hold that power. If they had some Master Yoda talking points that it's just transformation of matter, they would escape the accusation of hypocricy, but they don't.
Neither does some psycho-babble medicalizing the position as "inferiority complex". You're SAYING Ganondorf is inferior to these "Gods": then gloat about it with "erm, he's just mentally too weak to deal with it, just accept it, man".
No, that's actually how you get checked. And so Sonia did.
@sboinkthelegday3892 I wouldn't really compare him to Armstrong. Just because a villain has a "might makes right" attitude does not automatically mean they're like Armstrong. Armstrong is deluded in his beliefs thinking that what he's doing is for the benefit of the American people, whereas Ganondorf seems to just be doing this for his own selfish lust for power and control. Armstrong wants a world where anyone who's strong has the right, wears Ganondorf wants a world like that because he believes himself to be the strongest, therefore the only one to have the right. He's selfish compared to Armstrong, who is comparatively selfless in his delusions.
Also, it's not "psycho-babble." Seriously looking at Ganondorf's words and actions makes very clear that they guy has an inferiority complex. He thinks the Rauru and his people are looking down upon him just because he perceives them as being more powerful, when we can tell from what we've seen of Rauru and his people that they're not like that at all. When you take into consideration Ganondorf's upbringing as a king chosen by "divine birthright" then it would make sense for him to have a massive ego, so him seeing people who have more than him makes him perceive that they're looking down on him because that's what he would do in that position. He can only think like how a selfish king would, and sees the world as the same. He's projecting hella hard.
Really fantastic work on this one Aaron
Thank you Captain Burger, sir! I really appreciate that!!
"The return of the past and a world of demons." makes sense insofar that, when we remember the creation story of the universe/world of TLoZ, as told in OoT, the world was Chaos itself. A world with no structure/order.
I don't think he meant to literally return to a world without any form or structure (except in the very last moments of him being conscious, as you point out), but the desire for chaos and a world where willpower and capability matters most seems to mirror that of the primordial one we see before the Goddesses transformed the world. And for some reason the Demon Tribe hates the Goddesses, presumably because they transformed the world away from chaos.
AFAIK Chaos is also a deity, or more of a form of being, an essence, in Greek Mythology.
Though I am not versed enough to delve deeper. But Ganondorf's desires match that of those of Demise and the Demon Tribe as a whole, even if he does so unconsciously. The urge to return to a world of chaos.
I think the few changes to the script the English localization made robbed Ganondorf of a lot of depth.
That is why I always advocate to stay as literal as possible, even if that means the subtitles come across as robotic. I take depth and understanding over flow. (Then again I am someone who watches/plays in original voice over with German subtitles.)
I think that it's also worth considering how, in Japanese culture, a traditional "oni" or "demon", can be considered to be a neglected/fallen "kami", or "god/deity". It's possible that just how Ganondorf despises the Zonai for various reasons, including because Rauru in a position of utmost power, other demons may despise the gods for a similar reason.
Wow, this aged well after Echoes of Wisdom came out...
Really frustrating how the English localization just changed the meaning of certain lines completely (like the line about Ganondorf wanting a worthy foe originally being a reference to his motivation to bring back how the world in the past was, among others in the video), and just generally made certain lines more underwhelming too ("control all of creation" vs "rule this land"). If they were a little more faithful to the original I like to think that there might be fewer complaints about this Ganondorf, even though obviously there would still be some nuisance missing.
Awesome video and insights, especially into all the cultural references and connections!!
Quick question, at 14:53, "The return of the past and a world of demons", is he saying that the world of the past he's been talking about was a time ruled by demons? Or that the world of the past + demons is what he wants?
I'm guessing either the original state of the word was darkness, or he's referring to the time of his reign as the demon king.
@@Jarino507 I should probably elaborate a little bit on my question, but tldr that would make sense.
I've been under the impression from other videos I've watched that before the gods shaped the world, it was a world of demons and chaos. But I was also assuming that Ganondorf's "world of the past" he longs for was something more recent (like just before Rauru's Hyrule's founding, or just before the era of the Zonai, something like that) where the inhabitants of Hyrule were more at eachother's throats. Mainly because he talks about the people of the past usually without referring to them as actual demons (I think?), but this could also be presumptuous of me.
So I wasn't sure if this particular line meant that he was actually referring to pre-creation the whole time in his motivations, or something else. Your suggestion that he's specifically talking about his time as the demon king in this line would make sense to me considering the context that the line was said in the present iirc (while still fitting with my initial interpretation that he's not talking about pre-creation (which I could still be wrong about)).
@@spicysquire3521 The line in question is said when he's facing off with Link so yeah it's the present. And yeah, given his comments about the people of the past, it does feel like he has some nostalgia from Rauru's time. At least, he admired that the sages were willing to fight. Or like you said, he's talking about the time prior to the unification of Hyrule where there was more war.
They did the same with Rauru’s last talk with Link before he disappeared where he said ''please take care of her''.
The English localization really did to them dirty!
The world of demons ganondorf is alluding to is probably Hyrule before rauru descended and exorcised all the monsters inside the shrines of light, like the chamberlain wrote
Amazing video! Really highlights that Ganondorf isn’t a one-noted villain as the English translation would lead us to believe
My view on Ganondorf swallowing the stone is that it was more an act of desperation. At that point he was outclassed and cornered with no way out, it was either he turned into a dragon and hoped for the best or get struck down by Link.
That is likely a massive contributor to it as well!
Nah, he was just hungry
You've made lots of videos discussing the powers of evil and how they work, what about the powers of good and how they work? I'm very interested to see the works and inspirations behind them.
Same here especially in regards to many _other_ powers of good we've seen across the series such as the Fierce Deity's Mask from Majora's Mask, the Four Sword and Light Force from The Minish Cap, the Vessels of Lights from Twilight Princess and most recently the "Sealing Power" and it's connection to Hylia and the Triforce. I would love to see a video by Aaron addressing all this many divine artifacts and how they relate to one another in terms of countering evil powers of demonic origin.
That's a fantastic idea! I might delve a bit deeper into some of Zelda's powers, and examine any significant nuances or intricacies associated with them that could be fascinating to explore in a video.
If this video has taught me anything, other than the fact that Ganondorf is a fantastic villain, it's that Nintendo needs to hire better translators.
For real. Especially English translators. The translations into other languages are far more representative of the depth of his character.
@@rastas4766 I think it's less lack of skill, and more attitudes at NoA about what their audiences want from stories. Kind of like the whole 'Mario games don't need a deep story' thing from Miyamoto that led to Sticker Star. I have this suspicion that there's some sort of belief among those higher up in NoA's localization department that the English-speaking audience want simple, larger than life good versus evil from Zelda games. That they want Link to remain a silent, blank slate, even if games like BotW attempted to move away from that somewhat in their original forms. Because again, that's what they think the fans want, and they're both too stubborn and too unwilling to risk portraying otherwise.
@ yeah I completely agree with that. It reminds me of how American translators butchered Nausicaa Valley of the Wind int binary good v evil when the original was a conflict between humans and a message on environmentalism.
@@xX_Thaddeus_Xx That's a good point, and now that I think about it more, is most likely what happened which is even more of a bummer.
Fascinating. This works well with the theory that this version of Ganondorf drew his powers more directly from Demise.
In certain instances, what Ganondorf says in Japanese echoes the words of Demise in Skyward Sword, as well. Both express their joy in unleashing power through very similar sentences.
@darkdagger5237 I couldn't find the RUclips video and comment thread we were conversing before. Will this thread work?
@@RyuuKageDesu This will work. So I'll start this off with the evidence of Zonai connection in Skyward sword (I'm surprised you missed the the dragon statues with long ears and three eyes) with that evidence and Master works Vol.2's timeline we can safely say that the Zonai existed in the era of Hylia because Hylia entrusted the Secret stones to the Zonai something that doesn't make sense to do after giving up her divine form. So with that out of the way your Rito evidence is somewhat lacking if those statues were humanoid they would be strong evidence but they're just birds standing straight and tall you are right tho about them not being Loftwings as they lack a tail and have the wrong beak which is not evidence of the existence of Rito however could mean that more birds than just the Loftwings were considered sacred.
The crystal connection looks like a passing thought there's not really any substance to it but you wrote it down anyway in case it did so to address it its a common shape for crystals in the Zelda series so not really a Zonai specific connection. As for the hair on the statue someone else already explained that point and I agree with them that its just hair.
@@darkdagger5237 I will need to go back to look at the dragon statues. I appreciate you mentioning it.
The bird statues, and the crystal shape are not strong enough to stand on their own, and never were. They bolster the whole. The bird statues in Skyview Temple, in particular, was posed as a possible connection, rather than direct proof. (If the Rito existed during this time, this could be a depiction of them; not "these are Rito, hence...")
Similar to the large statue, in the Cistern, having scales or hair, the statue never was the smoking gun to prove the Zora existed in that time frame. The rest of the architecture does. The fish at the entrance, and the fact that the structure requires a people who can survive under and out of the water. The large statue having what are possibly scales fits the idea.
@@RyuuKageDesu We seem to agree on what the weaker evidence is so lets set that evidence aside for now until you have more evidence to back them up.
I'm not arguing about the existence of Zora because to my knowledge there is no defined origin of the Zora and the impact of their history isn't extreme like the Zonai who founded Hyrule at least on one timeline.
The core of your theory seems to be in how the history of the Zonai lines up with Skyward sword's era so could you post that timeline of events according to your research on the forum thread (if you post it as an image make sure that it is large enough that it can be read without clicking on it because I need an account to click on images).
Great video, earned a follow from me. I was a little concerned it'd be an attempt at trying to make Ganondorf seem like a more altruistic figure, as people have mistaken that as being "better" writing. But as you elucidate well, Ganondorf embodies a type of person and character which has deep roots in history and literature, particularly the influence of Japanese/Buddhist themes on Nintendo even as they try to cater to a wider audience. His pathological greed and desire for control is something that can be evidenced in many warlords, serial killers, and dictators across history, but it's also a magnified version of thoughts and desires all people have a propensity to think and feel. That's what's interesting and tragic about him, not some shoehorned sense that he's got the greater good in mind. Kudos, I'll be looking back at your earlier videos and looking forward to future ones.
Power for its own sake was always a main motivation, but him being envious and even feeling a little looked down on because "King of all Hyrule" vs "King of just the desert region of Hyrule".
In short, his motives are power and envy no matter how you slice it. The Zonai allegedly created the stones, or came with themwhen they first descended. That does, by nature, make it their job to decide whi gets one and who doesn't, and Ganondorf actively proves why he doesn't deserve one in his efforts to take one... So he is very hypocritical when it comes to looking down on people given his "might makes right" mentality that has been maintained across every incarnation.
However, I do find it hilarious that people think "simple villain with simple motivation and are irredeemably evil" automatically equals "badly written antagonist", even though such villains absolutely have a place in good writing as proven by Jack Horner fron Last Wish, to name one blatantly obvious example. Also Fire Lord Ozai fron the Avatar the Last Airbender, who I would actively compare to the basic concept of Ganondorf (make G-man the emoeror of a pyrokinetic nation and give him two kids, and you basically have Ozai).
In Master Works, the developers highlight their intention to depict Ganondorf as a character entirely consumed by his obsession with power, convinced that his decisions, thoughts, and opinions are infallible. They state that they aimed to convey this, particularly through his extreme facial expression after he kills Sonia, illustrating that he is beyond reasoning or persuasion.
8:00 Lamp Oil? Rope? Bombs??
You want it? It's yours, my friend; as long is you have enough rupees!
When White Dragon (or Light Dragon in English) comes to aid Link in the final battle, I’d asked myself a question during the 3rd phase: “Did she come back and maybe draconification hasn’t removed everything that is Zelda?” I would strongly it is her love for her knight is what drove her dragon instinct/consciousness in saving Link from falling and aiding him against the Black Dragon. We all seen that when her powers were activated when the one she loves is threaten in Breath of the Wild.
I think the geoglyphs were made to help Zelda remember, and that's why the Light Dragon saves Link before the final fight
Brilliant work as always! Thank you very much for making this!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
As I see it, the stark difference between secret stones normally doubling the power of its user and the absolute terror that Ganandorf became relates to the strength and nature of their elemental connection. Or in other words, it really shouldn't be too surprising that the Blood of the Goddess and Incarnation of Hatred get them *somewhat* higher multiiers.
Kinda makes me wonder what sort of effect eating a stone would have for someone with the Spirit of the Hero...
Dragon Link!
5:41
On the pedisuls the secret stone is on, there are two zonai characters. The top one I originally interpreted to mean "To rise; To ascend" and the second to mean "To give; To let out/outward". Looking back on the forst one though, it does seem to mimic the eye seen on every secret stone. I originally thought that the two characters referred to tge secret stone itself but now I think it's referring to its receival by its new welder.
I'd also really like an examination of Rauru, Mineru, & even Sonia's motivations throughout the game too. If at all possible.
Especially their plans for the Gerudo under Ganondorf.
So basically Ganondorf is someone who loves Demons and Darkness, That's quite interesting to think from a Psychological Perspective
And thus one would assume that Zelda loves Gods and Light in return. The theme of duality becomes more apparent than ever within Tears of the Kingdom.
More like a skillful warrior who is in a thrilled of battle and seeks out a worthy adversaries with such fighting spirit.
To Ganondorf, the ideal world of peace and enlightenment is nothing but a joke.
@@a.jthomas6132 Yet he clearly also seeks a world drenched in chaos and ridden with monsters and demons that constantly impose conflict and struggle among the denizens of the entire world in order to force every living being in the entire Zelda universe to seek conflict and violence and so create a world where Power dictactes who lives and who dies. Think of it like Ganondorf's version of Natural Selection.
Absolutely amazing work, deserves an absurd amount of more views, a true explanation and definitive Zelda theory that is on par with or surpasses those theories of the largest Zelda youtubers. It's as if Ganondorf is this "new author" of pure destruction, endless chaos and true darkness - more than Demise it seems. Perhaps Ganondorf is this new Demise, or at least this continuity is separate from previous Zelda lore. It's so satisfying to finally understand how TOTK enhances the Zelda lore and universe of the series. Truly outstanding and remarkable work!
Wow, thank you so much! That truly means a lot!
Another well done video Aaron!
Thank you very much!
Minor note but iirc White is also associated with Metal which probably is called back upon by Zelda's restoration of the master sword
You're absolutely right and that's a fantastic connection you've realised! Thanks for sharing, it's awesome!
21:05 "In essence, Ganondorf's desperate consumption of the Secret Stone enabled him to embody an ultimate power that defiles the fundamental Buddhist principal of impermanence."
Also because it's explicitly stated by Mineru that anyone who swallows a Secret Stone becomes an *immortal* dragon, "one blessed with eternal life", i.e. permanent. But then it's a question of why the Demon Dragon was the only dragon to manifest with obvious weak spots and able to be killed (he was able to be killed because the Master Sword had been bathing in sacred light for thousands upon thousands of years and so was able to oppose him despite being broken by him in the opening, but then why was he the only dragon to manifest with giant glaring weak spots? Did the corruption result in an imperfect form?)
My theory is that the stones were made when Hylia first was reincarnated. It's possible that she created them so that sages could have the power to protect her in her vulnerable childhood years. The other idea I had is that the primordial goddesses of the triforce originally made them before Hylia, possibly to give them to the people who lived in the chaos of the world before they brought order
Really love the translations from the original Japanese text, really wish NOA would’ve localized this better. Small details in the meaning of Ganondorf’s words add demension to his motivation
I just want you to know how amazing and informative this video is. I'm pretty sure it totally solves what I fealt was lacking about totk ganondorf. I enjoyed the ending and ya thought it was epic but something was very not up to standards as far as I'm concerned about the character. There just wasn't enough. To find out that this IS there fixes everything for me and it's such a shame it was not in the English version but at least I now know and it does make me live it actually instead of kind of liking it. From his acknowledgement that there was more before the current "ancient" setting and him wanting to revert it puts him on par with wind waker ganondorf to me. I feel like why did the devs make us wonder to the point that they just stated later that the timeline events we know could have still happened long before botw and totk's ancient past when the Japanese game and motivations kind of directly point to ganondorf as knowing that the zonai came after some kind of past for Hyrule was known to exist and thus they did not have like original rights or authority to be ruling? Those small changes you pointed out make him a much much better ganondorf. I had no idea that was there. And then there's his spoken words. Going from the English taking over the world to controlling all of creation man oh man epic, as you said an escalation to say the least. You can feel the power. And man I will drag you damn people to hell 😮 I needed him to say these things and had no idea it was all actually there. Thank you alot for this
Well done Aaron
Thank you!
I ALWAYS look forward to your videos!
Do you think Ganondorf uses his puppet Zelda to reek havoc across Hyrule, preventing the newly appointed Sages (Sidon, Riju, Tolin, and Yunobo) from attaining the Sacred Stones of the Zonai, and lure Link to a trap by playing his feelings for his princess?
I just have a theory that he might of overheard Zelda having a girl talk with Sonia about her lover and knight. Thus, he took it as advantage by using the similar deception as he did to assassinate the Queen of Hyrule.
ur quality is at the moment on top of zelda content
and it still stands that way u handled totk so well
Do not look away! You witness a king mid Suavamente
A very interesting video like your others, and spectacular visuals. I feel like your question about why he becomes so powerful isn't really answered though. While I agree that his Morshuu is being amplified, I don't think that alone accounts for just how powerful he seemingly became. I mean, by this logic, wouldn't the good traits of the Sages be amplified as well?
I see it more that inside of him is a power of Darkness that is suddenly being amplified. That darkness, his inner element, was always there and is simply being doubled. Your clarity on the Japanese is insightful, but I believe that at the core of this, Ganondorf simply has a higher quantity of base elemental power in him. When amplified by the secret stone, it grows so large, that even other amplified people can't compete.
No matter how sick or obsessed Ganondorf is, it seems like his base Elemental Value couldn't naturally be high enough to reach such a level merely by "doubling" through the power of the stone. So the question remains, where is his huge abundance of darkness coming from?
If it merely is his Morshuu, his twisted desire to return the land to its wild state where monsters roamed and people fight openly for survival, then wouldn't Rauru's desire to tame the wild for everlasting peace be equally amplified?
yea i still think he had another power source like the triforce of power
@@darkdagger5237 If he had that, he wouldn't have needed a Secret Stone. Honestly, it really doesn't make sense why a Secret Stone as stated, especially with the "doubling" aspect brought up in this video, would make him so powerful. If anything, it actually hamstrings it more. Now we know that whatever power he had, it was doubled... and so if 1 Demon King can take out 7 Sages, then half of a Demon King surely would have been enough to take any one of them out, including Rauru... right?
@@PixelFusionProductions but if he had that much power normaly he would have just 1v1 raru and bean done with it before getting a stone
@@darkdagger5237 Exactly my point. The "Doubling" logic doesn't add up, which means that there is more to Ganondorf's darkness going on. This idea of Morshuu is interesting, but it doesn't really add up.
Currently, my guess is that Ganondorf inadvertently tapped into some very powerful, likely whatever is in Gloom Lair. That is why the battle went down there, and why he was so powerful... powerful enough that he could stand against all 7 sages with little problem.
@@PixelFusionProductions you assume that if ganon had the triforce of power he would know that he had it that is clearly not the case as in twilight princess ganon found out that he had it in a moment of extreme despairation he then tapped into its power to escape death think about it in ocarina of time link go's back in time with the triforce of courage then the triforce split here zelda went back in time with the triforce of wisdom so logically the same thing would happen here the big difference is that ganon this time was never in an instance of extreme despairation
Personally I think the secret stone just awakened Demise within Ganondorf. It would explain why he looks like him in this game as opposed to his boar form.
To terraform Hyrule into what he believes to be paradise.
I'm commenting a bit late, but still, thank you for your work! I'm a fan!
Thank you! I appreciate it ^^
Not even those playing the Japanese version could come to a realization of the character motivation.. because it isn't there. The game does not present any additional elements or explanations to give the character a proper foundation. This incarnation of Ganon is unbelievable underwritten, period.
If this is really at the beginning of the timeline.. there's no reason for this early cycle of Demise to be so corrupted by feelings of "hatred" and "desire for control" (original curse) as to not have a personality. Specially when compared to more memorable Ganondorf versions, like the one from Wind Waker. It would make sense only in later iterations of the timeline, where the constant defeats of this presence has corroded its existence to the point where it is motivated by only one thing, and is as dumb and blind as this version! It could even be interesting if well written. But not here.. Ganon's "cunning strategy" is unrealistically idiotic, and only works because his opponent is an even bigger idiot.
So, even if this is the actual explanation of it.. it is ultimately BORING and bad.
I wonder how powerful Link would be if he obtained a secret stone for himself since he was more than capable of destroying the demon king with just the modified master sword 🤔
Nice details about the other ancient secret stone wielders is that they have the exact same weapons as the champions from BotW
What I'm getting, is that I have to learn and play in japanese.
Thank you for the video!
I feel disappointed that all this couldn’t have been explained better by just playing the game. Totk really should’ve taken place in the past with the midpoint - final battle taking place in the present and Ganondorf should’ve been translated more accurately.
Another great video Aaron.
So this explains exactly why most incarnations of Ganondorf can only wield the Triforce of Power. That always confused me. He seems extremely courageous and cunning, yet I was looking at it from the wrong perspective. While he has intelligence to rival Zelda’s, he does not have spiritual wisdom and is constantly at odds with the world around him rather than accepting it for what it is. He wants to completely destroy it rather than do anything to improve it or himself because he’s so overcome by hatred. If anything, I think he’s acting out of both malice and fear. No amount of magical power he gains will ever free him from this curse unless he changes his ways, but he’s too damn stubborn. There’s a lot of potential for a future story here focusing on ending the curse of Demise and freeing Hyrule from his resurrection and finally putting the spirits of Link and Zelda to rest as well. Ganondorf just became doubly as interesting as he was before 🥰
Why did you leave out key parts of the English version of the dialogue that showed his motivation? You're doing what you do with most of your videos.
0:50 The use of "true" is implied in English. You seem to overstate the importance of that adjective. Also, that Japanese quote is not completely accurate. He says 真の王の復活と
2:00 They both have the exact same meaning.
5:15 But it does not exclusively mean "double". "Amplify" seems more appropriate as it conveys the sense of ambiguity in the Japanese.
7:32 You are overstating the use of the term 魔物 there. That exact term is also used to describe the majority of enemies in the game in their Compendium descriptions. Demon and Monster are both valid translations. It is consistent here.
13:40 Except the English states practically the exact same thing too. It says "I will reshape this world as it was meant to be."
13:56 and the English version of that line is also pretty much the same: "All these weak, peace-loving cowards running rampant..."
14:11 I will admit this is a little more subjective, but the English version of the line seemed to suggest the same general idea that he longed for the past. He remembers the past with "worthy foes" and expresses that with his line.
14:31 This exact concept is conveyed in English too with "I will crush any opposition. I will rule."
As for 14:53 they clearly are the same in meaning. While it's odd that the mention of a world of demons was not included, it doesn't change the fact the overall message is consistent.
15:22 I... don't agree with your translation there. I would simply translate it as "I will rule all things." And either way, I think it matches the English it meaning pretty closely, but not as much as previous examples.
And his Japanese Hyrule Compendium entry is almost the exact same as the English version. I think you kind of overstated the differences once again.
I appreciate your sharing your thoughts and interpretations; thank you for that. First and foremost, I want to address this: I do not create these videos with the purpose or intent of bashing the official English localisation we have been provided with.
Language is immensely complex, and there are often many ways to interpret, translate, and localise dialogue and text. The translations I've provided here should not be seen as definitive or the only way to interpret the Japanese language. Similarly, neither should Nintendo's, yours, or anyone else's translations. There will always be individuals who perceive things differently, and that's perfectly acceptable. In fact, it's much more interesting and enjoyable that way.
The aim of my videos is to offer and share alternative translations for the original text, analyse how it can be interpreted, and consider what it might ultimately mean or imply. It seems you may have misunderstood their purpose; I am not suggesting that the official English translation we received is invalid. For instance, take the part where Ganondorf says he wants to rule 万物. I translated it as "creation," which is a perfectly valid translation. You propose "all things," which is also valid. Nintendo's translation is "the land," which is also valid as the land is part of creation and something he desires. Whichever translation you prefer, there will still be numerous nuances that do not transfer seamlessly. By creating videos, I can elucidate these nuances, provide context like I did with the dragon section, and explain them-a luxury that the official localisation team did not have.
I am not omitting any crucial parts of the English version of the dialogue. During those parts of the video you referred to, I am solely referencing the Japanese text. I am providing the Japanese text as it is the original and my interpretation for those who wish to see it.
The same applies to the Japanese; I am not omitting anything. At 2:00, the Japanese quote is accurate. Please take another look at the Japanese and English for the second half of that quote.
The differences you feel I am overstating are a fair opinion; however, I do ask you to understand that I create these videos to highlight the nuances of the original text that may allow for other interpretations, not to discredit other translations.
@@QuestWithAaron This is cool and all, but you're not addressing the crucial aspect of NoA translations that separate them from fan translations: they are official. And with some knowledge of how the process of localisation works, NoA works very closely with the Nintendo Co. Ltd and the developers. The localisers communicate directly with the devs to discuss the whole localization process. They do this with most Nintendo games, including Xenoblade and Pokémon. And there's little reason to assume the localisationa of these major cutscenes won't be on high that priority list for localisation discussions.
I encourage you watch a video detailing the localisation process for Majora's Mask, where they interviewed the localiser. He discusses how he talked about the localisation and different decisions with the dev team themselves and even Mr Miyamoto San. I believe it is by a channel called the Hyrule Files or Hyrule Journals.
For this reason, I see little reason to consider fan translations as equal in validity to NoA translations, aside from when legitimate errors are made however.
Also, what makes me a little sceptical about your claim of simply "highlighting the nuances" is multiple other videos of yours. You translate certain terms as synonyms of their official English translation and suggest they're completely different, like your "imp" and "devil" translation for Majoras Mask. Or the quote saying "a dark power is bestowed." You seem to suggest that the Japanese indicates it wasn't necessarily bestowed when it can be the only logical answer given that the wearer possesses a dark power as a result of the mask. In some way or another, it is absolutely being given/enabled.
And for your Revali video, you seem to ignore the tone present in his Japanese text. I've also seen other players of the Japanese version interpret Revali as equally unlikeable/"jerk" as the English version, if not more.
@@QuestWithAaron And for when you claim to exclusively focus on the Japanese part, why not also show the official English translation as you did elsewhere in the video? While this is also an interpretation, it is difficult to shake the idea that you did this deliberately to portray idea that the Japanese version of Ganondorf has a motivation while the English doesn't, ultimately reinforcing that factoid that is common in the fanbase.
But for the timestamp at 2:00, I was incorrect with my criticism there. I realised that soon after posting my comment, but couldn't be bothered to change it at the time. I appreciate you pointing that out and giving a response.
@@Token-j1n For a large company such as Nintendo, there should be lots of communication going on, as you rightly pointed out. However, maintaining the perfect balance between accuracy and cultural implications remains immensely difficult for the localisers. From my professional experience, there will also be occasions where you will be tasked with translating text with minimal or simply zero context, which really does ramp up the challenge. I’m not implying that is what’s happening at Nintendo, it’s just something to keep in mind.
Thank you for sharing the Zelda localisation interview; I'll be sure to watch it.
I appreciate your point about translating certain terms, but I ask you to please understand that I am not merely translating them as synonyms. In Majora’s Mask, the official localisation used "imp" for the Skull Kid, which I believe is an excellent choice. However, it fails to capture the depth of meaning associated with the original Japanese word. In fact, there's no direct equivalent in English, which is inherent to the nature of language. NoA is not at fault here; I've never thought they were. The word simply has too much depth and cultural nuances to convey via a single English word. There are many fantastic pieces of literature exploring the complexity of the Japanese word 鬼, and honestly, my video merely scratches the surface of its depth. if you’re interested I am happy to share some I thought were incredible reads. The same complexity applies to the term describing the dark power in Majora’s Mask. While wearing Majora’s Mask, the Skull Kid becomes a formidable force, but the source of that power lies within his own heart. Again, the English localisation isn't incorrect and it does have decent implications; it's just that the Japanese word carries nuances that can't all be conveyed within the limited space of an in-game text box. These intricacies are central to my videos and what I aim to share with the community.
Regarding the Revali video, I believe I mentioned multiple times that he remains prideful and boastful in Japanese.
However, I acknowledge your point and I do want to ensure that I’m not implying that the official English localisation is straight-up wrong. That's not the message I intend to convey. Localisation is extremely complex and I'll make a greater effort to emphasise that in my videos to ensure others don't misinterpret. I was sure to do that with my video explaining the full extent of the nature of the Adventure Log in Tears of the Kingdom as well.
@@QuestWithAaron
I guess you are correct that 'imp' doesn't capture the full depth associated with the Japanese term. I understand that. My main point of criticism is the apparent portrayal of the idea that "devil" is somehow more accurate than "imp." I may be misinterpreting, but given the thumbnails of the videos and general concept of "uncovering hidden details in the Japanese", it seems somewhat reasonable to think that you are portraying "devil" as the superior translation choice and "imp" as flawed. In fact, I didn't even know that you considered that to be a good translation choice until your reply here. I appreciate that clarification however.
As for Revali, while you did show he was prideful and boastful, I feel like you didn't demonstrate that he was also what many would consider a "jerk" in Japanese too, when many did interpret JP Revali as such.
Looking at your comments so far here, I think your analysis is much better than how I interpreted your analysis in your videos. From the acknowledgement of NoA's translations being reasonable to your clear understanding of the localisation process, I feel like if you incorporate these aspects into your videos more often, it'll separate you from the anti localisation community, as you are clearly not in that department. There seems to be more objectivity which I praise. I appreciate that you're taking my criticism on board and I hope you go through with what you said about avoiding misinterpretations. Because a number of people in your comments seem to be of the anti localisation community, whose understanding of the localisation process and how Japanese works are much inferior to yours as you've demonstrated. You've actually positively changed my perception of your channel and you quite a bit as a result lmao.
Totk link is insanely powerful. He took down ganon amped by the secret stone while 7 sages couldn’t do it while they each had a secret stone. Link only had 2 royal spears fused together (that’s canon).
Moushuu.....I NEW THAT MAN WAS SUSPICIOUS!!!
I used to think that he was most similar to Demise in appearance because he really was heartless. At least the original ganondorf had real feeling, he wanted good for his people and even respected link. This ganon doesn’t care, he’s honestly worse than even mindless ganon from fallen hero timeline.
What if the old lore of Rauru, the first king of hyrule being a hylian is just now outdated and he’s a Zonai now
I wonder if the long chain of losses by all who are named "Ganon" or "Ganondorf" will ever become part of the lore of the Gerudo. Ganondorf's followers should be sharing this with him: "yah dude, of course the most powerful should be king, but that is never anyone named Ganondorf, like ever, so you need to chill out. If you don't, we're gonna ask you to have a Last Will & Testament made up, because it'll be the end of you."
That was incredible
7:56 Wait, you're telling me Morshu From the faces of evil Is based off of the Buddhist concept of greed?
@QuestWithAaron, I think you are the deepest Zelda channel in RUclips
I appreciate your kind words, truly, thank you so much!
wait black dragon rules water that means that the water dragon the zonai worshiped in the past was not farosh but rather another black dragon
Ganondorf before obtaining the secret stone was pretty much a mortal man, powerful and magical but still mortal. After obtaining the secret stone he's true power was released. He pretty much became the original demon king Demise, hence his ridiculous power.
Not super deep but at least it gives us a glimpse into his motivations beyond wanting to rule.
At least I think so...
Is it just me or is there a lot of similarity between Ganondorf and Gouki/Akuma from Street Fighter?
Whoa, whoa, whoa... Blue, RED, Yellow, White & Black? Elements? CREATION?! I know this is a Zelda video, not Pokémon, however, I need to work this out, but, that means Palkia isn't Pink or Purple, but, RED?!
Dialga represents Time... Blue Dragon...
Palkia represent Space... Red Dragon...
Giratina represents ANTIMATTER... Yellow Dragon...
Zekrom represents Truth... Black Dragon...
Reshiram represents Ideals... White Dragon...
That explains why they are those colors. Also, the latter two represent Taoism.
So you’re telling me everything that was great got cut from the English version?
Speaking of shouki, did Ganondorf learned to master it under the tutelage of Kotake and Koume. And whether or not they follow the same buddhist ideology as depicted in your video? Having No Twinrova in the story had been a wasted opportunity in Tears of the Kingdom. And it would of been nice if Nintendo dives deeper into his character of who he is before the Gerudo King is consumed with the obsession of power.
Since there are no dialogues or diaries in the english translation of Tears of the Kingdom that even allude to Ganondorf having learned to master shouki from the new reincarnations of Koume and Kotake i have to assume that no such information is also present in the japanese version of the game. That said i myself don't know japanese so i can't say with certainty that Nintendo of Japan couldn't have added a dialogue, diary page or something in the game which suggests Koume and Kotake mentored Ganondorf in shouki. Perhaps Aaron has something to say in the matter.
Kotake and Koume have role in the story because they would go on to have a role in OOTs story.
@@stuffz1757 There's no way there's a 400 years *gap* between Rauru's REFOUNDATION of Hyrule and Ocarina of Time. Also reincarnation says hi buddy.
@@javiervasquez625 Do you believe Ganondorfs ears are round in TotK because he's a reincarnation?
@@stuffz1757 In Ocarina of Time? Yes. Not so much in Tears of the Kingdom. They are treated as cameos or minor characters.
Now it makes sense!
What if the ancient sages have the same names as the divine beasts. Zora: Ruta, Goron: Rudania, Rito: Medoh, gerudo: Nabooris. It would make sense.
Awesome video 0:21
So TOTK’s Ganondorf’s goal is actually world domination, and a war filled world.
Yep, that is pretty much it
@@QuestWithAaron That makes him more clear, and looks like he’s the most ambitious one too.
Ganondorf is a sad man, he is bound to be the villain to rule Hyrule whether if he wants to or not
nintendo of america don’t botch the translation challenge (IMPOSSIBLE)
This video misrepresents things so badly. There were parts where they did questionable decisions, but the idea that Ganondorf's motivation is different is a pure myth. If you read the English version of those quotes, it will make more sense (the two from around ten minutes to 12 minutes in). And he highlights mostly minor differences and then exaggerates them greatly.
A lot of people have compared Tears of the Kingdom to Ocarina of Time
Is it just me or Moshus reminds me of Morshu from the CDI games
Can you please tell me what Ganondorf says in Japanese when Rauru mentions Link to him?
Otherwise, great video.
リンク？ 面白い、楽しむにしておくぞ。
Link? Interesting, I'll enjoy that.
@@matthewblasch2154 Thanks dude
Wait a darn minute if the White Dragon is known for Speed then why is Reshiram so damn slow?! (90 base speed for a Legendary Dragon) Darn you Pokemon company you missed a perfectly good opportunity there. I mean reading Bulbapedia would probably tell me but dang.
Also this is a fantastic video by the way. I'm so glad i found this channel. The English version really bastardized this game didnt they? I cant wait to watch your other videos. Though its getting late so maybe I'll do that tomorrow. Cheers!
Haha I haven't done much research into Pokémon, but I'd bet it would have to do with something related to it's design. Many dragons found within Japanese mythology are often depicted like snakes or serpents with a distinct lack of wings unlike those found in Western cultures. I believe this could be a potential contributing answer to your question (it could be that there's some in-game lore within the Pokémon universe as well)!
I really appreciate that, thank you!! Translation is... Extremely complex to say the least, so in general I avoid placing any blame on those who were involved. Instead my purpose with these videos is to share additional translations, and interpretations of the Japanese text and discuss the components/nuances/details of text that are a challenge to transfer between languages ^^
@@QuestWithAaron Haha as for the Pokemon thing that was just for my sense of humor. Though I DO wish we had gotten Link's journal entries at least in an additional add on somewhere in a guidebook in the English translation if they weren't going to use that in the quest log function in the OG BOTW. I mean we DID get the Hyrule Compendium I don't see why we couldn't get that little additional Easter Egg or something about links journals that would have been a great way to integrate it. (I've seen that in your videos apparently a few years ago I just forgot. That one was fantastic as well.)
I have a very, very, basic understanding of Japanese and Japanese grammar, a very very basic understanding and can recognize a very bare minimum of Kanji. Not from memory, and I don't have anything on my keyboard that can type anything out. I mainly can speak it but not in my area does anyone speak Japanese, so I don't really have a proper speaking partner. I can't write any full--Japanese sentence IN* the written language but in Romanji I can recognize most of it. Again I'm American and a majority of the people in my area aren't Japanese, so for practical every day use its not gonna be common to help someone as my parents don't really encourage me using it. (Spanish is probably going to be a secondary language here eventually T_T") But I just kinda want to have a hobby. You know?
All the power to you! That is so awesome you've learnt some Japanese. What do you think about trying some online apps like to perhaps meet a language partner?
If you're interested, I think that the Link's Awakening remake on the switch is a fantastic game to get into for beginners in Japanese. The language used in that game is very simple, and, as it was originally a game boy game, you can still enjoy the game enough without having to cycle through walls of text (like in TotK for example), which I think can be especially tiring to do when you're still in the early stages of language learning.
@@QuestWithAaron Maybe one day in the future I can get a language speaking partner, but I'll look into the Links Awakening thing for a study reference. I'm just not so good at talking to strangers so I kinda study alone. I'm kinda a recluse personally and have very few close in-person friends I meet up with.
Maybe there would be something in my area I could find if I look hard enough. I just get really nervous when I get tired due to my physical health, I also don't want to waste anyone's time if they're just doing it for me and I want to make a friend out of it who actually likes me. But I'll look into Links Awakening.
I mean I feel the differences between the two Ganondorfs is why I don't see this one coming after OOT Ganondorf, rather I feel this Ganondorf is the only "true" Ganondorf, i.e. the only one that is directly connected to Demises hatred, and thus I see him as existing closer to when Demise existed, not further away.
¿You do know that the second a new reincarnation of Ganondorf is introduced in the next big Zelda game coming out in the next few years this interpretation of yours will become completley void...? Food for thought Mr. Confirmation Bias.
@@javiervasquez625 Like a moth to the flame you've returned. Welcome back.
@@stuffz1757 Like a biased contrarian the misinformed parroting continues. Don't be a stranger.
@@javiervasquez625 Aw leaving so soon? Booo!
Also for the record a third Ganondorf would basically kill the lore community. TotK almost already did that, if they do this shit again it's all over. No also FSA Ganondorf doesn't count because most people don't care much what a side game like that does or doesn't do, hell the vast majority of people probably haven't even played FSA.
@@stuffz1757 Lol since when does "Don't be a stranger" suddenly mean "i've no desire to deal with a contrarian"? Just greeting a salty contrarian into this comment section is all i was doing so apologies if i made you think something which is not actually the case.
As to that little salty banter at the end of this salty ramble: I fail to see why you MISUNDERSTANDING the Lore established in Tears of the Kingdom randomly prevents future Ganondorfs from reincarnating just like their *canonical* _predecessors_ from Four Sword Adventures and Tears of the Kingdom as established in the official JAPANESE TIMELINE of The Legend of Zelda... zr/whoooosh don't be a stranger buddy.
Easy answer: there is no motivation aside from "this is what a king must do". Because hes not the Ganondorf we grew up with who had ambitions, one who wanted better for his people, and wanted to get his wish from the Triforce. Its a csrcature of him who only looks like and is called Ganondorf in name alone, but hes has 0 knowledge of Link or Zelda aside from what Goatru told him and just wants the the random Secret Stone for powers sake, no reality-warping wishes. This skinwalker just isnt Ganondorf, no ties to the past events of previous games. Its just a blank slate with no emotions investment.
@@ACW-dn9wb he never wanted better for his people. "I coveted that wind i suppose" he always wanted power for himself. Him merely mentioning that his people suffered was to set the scene as for why he coveted power. Just a lil correction there
@@svennevs5740 Except it isnt becasue he says how the winds scorcher their homes and caused death and suffering among his people. Of course hed covet to cool winds of Hyrule. So yes, he did want it for his people as well as himself. It would naturally would obviously extend to himself since hes suffering along with them, meaning its not an entirely selfish ambition. Otherwise he wouldnt mention how desert life affected anyone other than himself. Just a little correction there for you, buddy 🙃.
@@ACW-dn9wb If he wanted it for his people as well, why didn't he, you know, do that? WW Ganondorf is OOt Ganondorf and we know what he did when he got all that power he wanted. He sat on his throne, making life miserable for everyone around him and left those precious people of his in the desert and didn't lift a finger for them. You can't claim he cared about his people when we know he literally didn't. Really seems like "Fanon Ganon" has totally over taken Canon Ganon.
@@MaxM210 Its what he canonically claimed in WW, not fandom interpretation. But the games themselves definitely shows through actions how Ganon cared more for himself than his people. But then again, with the rest of the Gerudo tribe not being as evil as he is, despite being theives, they may not have wanted to pillage and straight up take the remaining homes of the Hylians. Especially after Castle Rown was a ruined ghost town. Enough townspeople are needed to maintin trade and services. And the Gerudo probably wouldnt want to build in the exposed Hyrule field to one day be easlily ambushed in the future. So in the desert they stayed.
@@ACW-dn9wb Just because he said it, doesn't make it true. Ganondorf's an evil sorcerer who's malice was so strong the gods destroyed the world rather than let him take it. I'm sure Ganondorf internally justifies himself in any number of ways, but that doesn't make him honest.
Ganondorf can say whatever he wants but actions speak louder than words, and we know what he did. He made zero effort to help his people, expressed no interest in helping his people, and did nothing but make the world a worse place for everyone including his people. A people who went against him the first chance a stronger person showed up. He had his mothers brainwash one of his own into fighting against her will, and then he didn't even acknowledge the deaths of the women who raised him, not so much as a tear. To him they were no more important than Volvagia or the Gohma. Sure he put their names on his swords, but thats a far cry from actual emotional action. Ganondorf has no friends or allies, just minions and servants.
He can justify that internally how ever he wants millennia later, but that doesn't change who he actually was. He was a bad person who did bad things for bad reasons, and rather than actually come to terms with that, he told himself a story to try and reduce his own guilt because he didn't actually care that the Gerudo suffered, he cared that He, a Gerudo was suffering.
And more importantly, he just hated the idea that there could be anyone above him, King, god or otherwise. Ganondorf doesn't care about governing or the function of the kingdom. He left the Zoras to freeze, he left the Gorons to be eaten, he left the Gerudo to the desert and would have killed all remaining hylians if he had the whole Triforce.
As far as he was concerned, as long as he was the most powerful person in the world, it didn't matter if there was anyone left in the world to compare. We know the world he wanted looked like, the Dark world, the world of nothing but monsters, where the only people living in it where humans who stumbled in and got turned into creatures by the Dark World's magic. Ganon's ideal world is world where only he matters. He legitimately has never expressed any interest in any living creatures aside from himself in any single game. Even Demise seemed to have an interest in the existence of the Demons. Ganon just doesn't care about anyone or anything but himself.
I mean, you say its not fandom interpretation, but in your reply, you're literally trying to interpret the actions of the Gerudo based on your own interpretation and not information present in the game. Never once is any of what you said, expressed in game either in dialogue or in action. you can't say something is certain and then back it up with a "probably".
Hi
Hello there!
First of all Long Time Zelda fan here hated what they did to the timeline,
What tears of the Kingdom.
Wish wish the serect stones were, fragrances a Triforce. Ganondorf caught his secret Stone from Queens Sonya,
Maybe he inherited the immense power, added on or overrated it. 🤷🏻♀️
The secret stones definitely possess far more significance than merely being obscure rocks. Translations like "sacred stone" or "mystic stone" could effectively capture their essence in English, given their naming in Japanese. It appears that their elemental alignment undergoes a complete transformation to harmonise with their new owner. Nonetheless, it's also plausible that the influence of their previous owner persists in someway too.
The story was butchered by translation failure
First
I play the game in French and the French translation is closer to the Japanese version, which is really cool. I'm glad I didn't play in English because y'all got done so dirty 😔
He’s just a jerk
This man has no motive 🤣
5:20 whats the ost called?
Ive been looking for ages.
It's the Construct Factory, particularly the part where Mineru's construct is completed
I miss Zelda bein' western mythology inspired
Who translated this? Was it in house? It's an absolute travesty that someone got paid to do such a botched job.
Is this another video misrepresenting the Japanese text, like you did with Revali?
I just had this pop up in my recommendations, but everyone should be very wary to not take what you say as the absolute truth, because from what I've seen your knowledge of Japanese doesn't make you a good source for these types of videos.
Japanese Ganondorf sounds like a far-right EU politician....
Tears of the Kingdom’s story is not as good as the previous game
Yea it’s better
The developers were too lazy to write one 😂 spend $70 again in five years.
still poor motivation. i feel nothing for any of these characters, this game truly is the worst in the series thus far
I don't think TotK is the worst in the series, plenty of Zelda games have had really bland characters. That being said, TotK Ganondorf was pathetic. He's cartoonishly evil. The only good thing about him is his design.
Story wasn’t exactly the priority with this game. Gameplay was. Make a rocket tank or ride a dragon, kill a Gleeok, or just wander the Depths or the Sky Islands. You’ll see that this game is far from the worst.