The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom had many things that were “unique” compared to past entries in the series. But something no one expected was the look of Ganondorf. When his skeletal form was shown in the teaser, gamers were excited to see him back in action. But when they saw his buff humanoid form…well…many were…uh…thirsty. That might sound like an odd thing to say for a villainous character like the Demon King, but according to some of the team behind the title, that is what they were going for.
In an interview translated by Nintendo Everything, Tears of the Kingdom Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi acknowledged that he and Eiji Aonuma didn’t want Ganondorf to simply come off as evil in appearance but to look like a king/ruler that would act as a visual foil to Zelda as much as a plot foil. To do that, they had to make him look…well…sexy.
“The designer didn’t simply make him look violent; they managed to fulfill my wish of making him look overwhelmingly evil while also being handsome enough that both men and women would fall for him. We put a lot of thought into choosing his clothes and accessories, keeping in mind that Ganondorf himself should have a strong sense of beauty and good taste. We thought he would probably be a character who paid a lot of attention to his appearance, demonstrating his dignity and intelligence as a king, and designing him with that in mind, we were meticulous with his face, body, all the way down to his fingertips, making him come off as robust and sexy at the same time.”
Yep, they said that, and many did indeed thirst for “Daddy Ganondorf.” It’ll be curious how his “next incarnation” will look when the time comes. But before then, check out our review of Tears of the Kingdom!
