Ganondorf (Super Smash Bros. Melee)


 * ''This article is about Ganondorf's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee. For other uses, see Ganondorf.

Ganondorf (ガノンドロフ, Ganondorofu) is in his original human form as he appears in the more recent installments of the series. His design is based off his appearance from the SpaceWorld demo. Ganondorf is a clone of Captain Falcon. As such, he fights in a brawler style similar to Captain Falcon, except in a slower but more powerful manner.

Currently, Ganondorf ranks 11th in the Middle Tier on the Tier List. This is due to his extreme power, good reach, good chain throwing ability, surprising speed in some areas, having what is considered one of the best aerial games, great edgeguard game, and having strong matchups overall. However, he has some major flaws, such as his slow ground game, susceptibility to combos and chain throws, being so easily bogged down by fast attacks and projectiles, and being arguably the most vulnerable character to edgeguarding. Another major problem facing Ganondorf is having horrible matchups against three of the four Top Tier characters (as low as or worse than 30/70). While he has some great strengths, his major flaws, especially the matchup problem against the Top Tiers, could be what keeps him from being in the higher tiers.

How to Unlock

 * Play 600 Vs. matches
 * Play and beat Event 29: Triforce Gathering

Attributes
Ganondorf is a character who hits for power, and range rather than speed. His Up smash is the strongest in the game if fully charged and if both hits connect. His up throw and down throw are excellent launchers as well as effective chain throws. His standard special, Warlock Punch, can often result in a KO. His D-air is a meteor smash that is nearly impossible to recover at even low percentages and it is also the strongest meteor smash and strongest aerial attack in the game on airborne opponents. It can even Star KO opponents that are on the ground under 100%. Most of his other attacks are also extremely powerful, every one of his attacks other than his throws have KO power. His aerials are especially powerfully (all five can reliably KO under 150%, three are capable of KOing under 125%) and can combo surprisingly well, giving Ganondorf one of the best aerial games in Melee. He is often considered the most powerful character in the game, with Bowser being the only other character whose power is comparable to Ganondorf's. However, Ganondorf's powerful attacks are counterbalanced by being slow. Although most of Ganondorf's aerial attacks have long periods of landing lag as well, L-canceling greatly helps this problem. Ganondorf's mobility is also slow, and his wavedash doesn't help because it is short. On the upside, Ganondorf can moonwalk and his great platform dashing game enhances his mobility as well as attacking options. He also has among the fastest and farthest rolls in the game due to being a clone of Captain Falcon. Ganondorf's down special, Wizard's Foot, is a spike (which means it can't be meteor canceled) and is also one of the only two specials to allow the character to regain their midair jump (only the Falcon Kick has this effect as well). Ganondorf has long horizontal recovery, but is extremely vulnerable to edgeguarding and edge-hoggers because of his large size and his up special, Dark Dive, can't attack people hanging on the edge. Ganondorf however, is a great edgeguarder, with more aerial edgeguarding options than any character in the game (all of his aerials are effective at edgeguarding as well as the aerial Wizard's Foot). In particular, his U-air reverse spike is one of the best edgeguards in the game as well as having what is considered the best meteor smash in the game with his dair. Ganondorf's range is high, but he lacks a projectile and projectile camps are effective against him. Ganondorf's neutral attack combo is extremely fast and does high damage for how quick it is. It can also be a great move to combo with. Ganondorf is a good candidate for combos and chain grabs due to being large, falling quickly, and being heavy (although his heavy weight also makes him harder to KO).

Normal

 * Neutral Attack- A quick jab that will do 7% damage. Has actual KO potental at higher %s. Since he jabs directly in front of him, some smaller characters can easily duck under it. Ganondorf's fastest attack, it is often use in combos with his other attacks, especially his dair.
 * Dash Attack- A shoulder tackle, does 14% damage. It's fast, but its knockback is rather low when compared to his other attacks and it is rather difficult to follow up on.
 * Down Tilt- A quick breakdance kick. An impressive 12% damage when fresh. Sets up aerial combos or his Up-B. Good reach, but is rather slow when compared to other d-tilts. Can KO at very high percentages.
 * Up tilt- Lifts his leg up and then brings his leg down violently. Very laggy, though very powerful, can even OHKO if hits by the edge due to its extremely high base knockback. 27% damage. Is by far the most powerful tilt in the game, it can KO even earlier than the Warlock Punch.
 * Forward tilt- Quick kick in front, 13% damage. It has far reach for a tilt, but is on the slow side. High knockback for a tilt, it is capable of KOing at high percentages.

Smash Attacks

 * Forward Smash- Thrusts his elbow forward with impressive vertical knockback. Almost no horizontal knockback at all, which makes it hard to DI out of. 22% uncharged, 30% fully. It is very powerful and since Ganondorf moves while performing it, it has great reach. It is the second most powerful f-smash in the game, only being exceeded by Bowser's f-smash. Even though it is powerful and far reaching, it has fairly slow start-up and significant ending lag.
 * Down Smash- Kicks leg in front and back of him. Can chain together, can be DI'd out of second hit. 8% then 13% uncharged, 11% then 17% fully charged. Is one of, if not the most powerful down smash in the game, capable of star KOing lighter/floatier characters under 100%. It is rather fast, especially for how powerful it is. Due to Ganondorf's long legs, it is one of the farthest reaching d-smashes in the game.
 * Up Smash- Kicks both his legs upwards. The first hit can lead into the second, though is DI-able and unlikely. 22% then 17% uncharged, 30% then 22% fully charged. It is the fourth most powerful uncharged up smash in the game (only exceeded by Pikachu's, Fox's, and Sheik's). When fully charged, it is the most powerful and damaging up smash in the game. Even though it is extremely powerful and surprisingly fast, its lack of horizontal reach limits its effectiveness as a reliable killer.

Other Attacks

 * Ledge Attack- Gets up and thrusts knee, 10% damage. Can knock opponents off the edge if they are close, potentially setting up an edgeguard.
 * 100% Ledge Attack- Slowly gets up and punches in front of him, does 8% damage.
 * Floor Attack- Does a round kick that can hit twice. 6% then 5%.

Aerial Attacks

 * Neutral Aerial- Very fast one-two kick. 12% then 10%. Both kicks have high knockback, but it is very difficult to land both kicks at very low percentages and it is impossible to land both kicks at percentages higher than 25%.
 * Forward Aerial- "Skull Crusher". Brings his fist down rather quickly, impressive knockback and damage, though slightly weaker than The Knee doing 17%. Unlike the knee, it always strikes with the same force. It is also just as fast as the knee with much more range, but it has more landing lag.
 * Back Aerial- Punches behind him, with high power doing 16%. It is fast, powerful, and good for edgeguarding. It is actually exactly as powerful as his fair, knockback wise. Has the exact amount of frames as Captain Falcon's bair, but hits with the same power throughout the entirety of the attack.
 * Down Aerial- Stomps with electrical power, extreme spiking power, doing 22% if fresh. Extremely powerful Meteor Smash, very hard to escape it's knockback and recover. It is by far the most powerful meteor in the game and it is overall the most powerful aerial in the game. It has a massive hitbox (it covers Ganondorf's entire body), and it is surprisingly easy to recover from (this is due to its low aerial ending lag). It is capable of setting up combos at low percentages and it is a great finisher at high percentages (KOs everyone but Captain Falcon, DK, Falco, and Bowser under 100%).
 * Up Aerial- Spinning kick. Knockback direction depends on which angle the foe was hit on. Good for juggling. 13% damage. Very versatile aerial, it can be use for combos and juggling, KOing, and edgeguarding with the famous reverse uair semi-spike.

Grabs & Throws

 * Pummel- Knees foe. does 2-3% damage per pummel.
 * Forward throw- Punches foe in front. Two hitboxes, does 5% then another 4%, adding up to 9%. It's only use is to set up edgeguarding situations at high percentages.
 * Back throw- Takes foe and bring them behind him, and kicks. 5% then 4%, adds up to 9%. Can set up edgeguards at high percentages.
 * Up throw- Knocks his foe above him. 3% then 4%, adds up to 7%. Excellent set up for juggles and can be an effective chainthrow at low percentages and fastfallers at mid percentages.
 * Down throw- Takes foe and violently bashes them to the floor. A one-hit 7% damage, another better suited to set up juggling. Can also chain throw a variety of characters at low percentages and can chain throw fastfallers up to high percentages.

Differences between Captain Falcon
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Ganondorf is a "clone" of Captain Falcon, but with much slower running speed, lower jumping height, and much greater overall power (this is despite Captain Falcon being arguably the third most powerful character in the game). Also, many of Ganondorf's attacks have darkness or electrical effects as opposed to Captain Falcon's fire effects. Ganondorf is considered a slower but tougher and harder-hitting character with more reach. He is very heavy, has a long recovery, and his attacks have very high knockback. Ganondorf also has a completely different fair than Captain Falcon. On the flipside, he's a big, slow target and is easily combo'd and bogged down by fast attacks. Ganondorf lives longer horizontally than Captain Falcon, but because Captain Falcon's falling speed is much faster (even if Ganondorf's falling speed is top 6), Captain Falcon lives longer vertically (longest in the game). It is notable that Ganondorf is the only "clone" that is of a different universe from the original character.

Wall of Pain & Ken Combo
A player can use Ganondorf's Forward aerial twice as a Wall of Pain or combine them with his Down aerial for an effective Ken Combo. In addition, Forward aerial combined with Wizard's Foot is a more effective Ken Combo.

Spiking abilities
Ganondorf has a series of spikes at his disposal which help make him an even fiercer opponent to face. Most spikes are often aerial A moves, but in the case of Ganondorf, he has both aerial A and B attacks that can send an opponent to an early KO.

Spike/Meteors and Description
Also referred to as the stomp. Both feet are thrust under Ganondorf, and on contact, the opponent receives an electrical shock animation. If the opponent is on the ground, they are shot upward very fast, which can be DI'ed left or right. If in the air, the attack sends the opponent straight down very fast. The attack can be used multiple times over to combo opponents with low percentage, but requires the ability to SHFFL, and tech chase. This is a meteor, and although it is difficult, the opponent can meteor cancel and recover.
 * Dair
 * Frame Data:
 * Total time: 44 frames
 * Hits on frames 16-20
 * IASA frame 38
 * Landing before frame 3 or after frame 36 of this attack causes the move to auto cancel
 * Lag when landing: 35 frames
 * Lag when landing (l-canceled): 17 frames

Surprisingly Ganondorf's up A attack can be used to semi-spike an opponent very effectively. The attack has very high priority, so if done correctly, it greatly contributes to Ganondorf players. Ganondorf does a backflip that resembles a flash kick in actual martial arts. One foot is extended during the flip, that creates a hitbox about 200 degrees in rotation around Ganondorf. Ganondorf must be facing away from the opponent, and hit the opponent with the top of his extended foot. There is little knockback, but considerable stun for the amount of damage the attack actually does. As an added bonus, this move is extremely hard to walltech. Something about the physics just makes it next to impossible to tech.
 * Reverse Uair

Also used to regain the double jump while recovering, Ganondorf's down B will spike an opponent if connected in air. Ganondorf extends one foot and travels diagonally down accompanied by a cloud of purple energy. The opponent receives an animation of cloudy purple energy when damaged by this attack. The attack itself puts Ganondorf in an inconvenient position to recover, so it is inferior to the dair and uair in most situations. Ganondorf can still double jump and triple jump, so it still has its advantages, as the opponent cannot "cancel" the attack.
 * Aerial Wizard's Foot

In Single-player
Ganondorf does not specifically appear in the game's single-player Adventure mode. He is featured in only three Event Matches:


 * Event 29: Triforce Gathering: As Link and teamed with Zelda, the player faces Ganondorf on the Great Temple stage. Beat this, then fight Ganondorf again to unlock him.
 * Event 49: All-Star Match Deluxe: Ganondorf is the final opponent you must fight in this series of staged battles. Your character battles him on the Final Destination stage, and your character has 2 stock while Ganondorf has 1. With a timer of four minutes, you must defeat him and the other five characters one-by-one with the overall time and life you have: Dr. Mario, Falco, Pichu, Young Link, and Roy.
 * Event 51: The Showdown: The final Event Match pits your character against a team of Giga Bowser, Mewtwo, and Ganondorf on the Final Destination stage (friendly fire turned off), with all four characters having 3 stock each and unlimited time. Seemingly overwhelming odds indeed.

Trophy Descriptions
In addition to the normal trophy about Ganondorf as a character, there are two trophies about him as a fighter, unlocked by completing the Adventure and All-Star modes respectively with Ganondorf on any difficulty:
 * Ganondorf (Trophy #64)
 * Said to be the sole man born to the Gerudo tribe in a hundred years, Ganondorf aspired to conquer the world. He plundered a piece of the sacred Triforce from the Temple of Time when Link pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal. With the Triforce of Power in Ganondorf's possession, Hyrule was plunged into darkness until Link and Zelda defeated the fiend.
 * Game: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time


 * Ganondorf (Smash Red) (Trophy #65)
 * Since he's slow and can't jump very high, Ganondorf relies mainly on his immense physical strength to overwhelm his enemies. His great weight also makes him a difficult foe to send offscreen. Ganondorf's Warlock Punch is slow but absurdly powerful, and when he strikes with his Gerudo Dragon, enemies rise skyward enveloped in dark flames.
 * B: Warlock Punch
 * Smash B: Gerudo Dragon


 * Ganondorf (Smash Blue) (Trophy #66)
 * Ganondorf's slow speed works against him in single combat, but in melees, his crazy power lets him earn his keep with innumerable KOs. Ganondorf can't strike quickly, but each blow he lands adds up. Ganondorf is at his quickest when he uses the Wizard's Foot, and his Dark Dive blasts foes in a burst of dark energy.
 * Up & B: Dark Dive
 * Down & B: Wizard's Foot



Trivia

 * Despite being a rather poor jumper, he has the highest ledge jump in the game, jumping even higher than Falco and his counterpart, Captain Falcon.
 * Ganondorf is the only clone other than Dr. Mario to ever be higher on a tier list than their counterpart, as he was higher than Captain Falcon on the early tier lists for Melee.
 * In Classic Mode, Ganondorf can only appear as a partner for the player in the team and giant battles. He never appears as an opponent in Classic Mode.
 * Ganondorf is tied with the Ice Climbers for the world record in the Home-run Contest (the Ice Climbers have to utilize the freeze glitch in order to do this). Ganondorf is also the only character that can break the max distance in the Home-run Contest without the use of a glitch or Action Replay.
 * Despite being considered only middle tier, Ganondorf has an matchup average of 60/40 and he has a disadvantageous matchup against only three characters. All of those three disadvantages are against top tier characters however, which can be easily blamed for his mid-tier placement.