The Warlock Punch (魔人拳, Majinken lit. Majin Fist) is Ganondorf's Neutral Special Move in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Ganondorf cocks back, charging a punch, for approximately 72 frames while a dark aura surrounds his fist. He then suddenly throws a devastating punch.
Overview
General
A single hit from this potent punch causes 30%-34% damage with great knockback. The attack can kill at low percentages and even KO light characters at 0%. Except on utterly defenseless or paralyzed opponents, this attack is nearly impossible to use in combat because it is so slow and predictable. In the air, Warlock Punch is even more powerful and does about 37%-40%, with higher knockback, but the very slow start-up of the Warlock Punch combined with Ganondorf's poor jumping and fast falling speed makes landing the Warlock Punch while airborne almost impossible.
This move is considered a 'clone' move of Captain Falcon's Falcon Punch, nicknamed as "Ganon Punch" by fans, but as mentioned above, it is slower, deals more damage, and has higher knockback. Also unlike the Falcon Punch, it is nearly impossible to Sacred Combo with due to its lag.
Reverse Warlock Punch
A feature of the Warlock Punch introduced in Brawl. A player can pull off a 180° punch by tilting the control stick in the opposite direction Ganondorf faces while charging. This deals roughly 3% more damage than a normal punch with more powerful knockback. This move can be done on the ground and in mid-air, but on the downside, it is about 0.5 seconds longer than a normal Warlock Punch. Though still laggy, this reverse punch is good for mindgames (as is Falcon's) and does serve as a way to turn a match around.
Also, the animation for the punch has been changed. Instead of pulling his arm back like a slower Falcon Punch, Ganondorf waves his arms, pulls back both arms while gathering magic, and punches backhanded with his left hand instead of right. On Final Destination, a Reverse Warlock Punch can KO Jigglypuff (and a few other light characters) at 0%, if hit at the very edge.
Warlock Punch usually guarantees a KO at around 20-29% damage should it be landed, the lowest of any special move without special criteria, such as Oil Panic and Judgment.
Origin
Ganondorf never uses the Warlock Punch as it is in any Zelda game, but similar attacks, fitting in with Ganondorf's motifs as the Warlock Punch does, have been used in several games. In Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf uses dark magic and a similar shout as in Melee to block Navi from approaching him in order to disable Link's ability to Z-Target. Additionally, in Wind Waker, he fights using his fists during certain cutscenes, showing massive physical strength and prowess in hand-to-hand combat. He knocks Zelda out during the final battle with a backhand slap, akin to the Brawl version of the attack. However, none of these are actually the Warlock Punch, despite their similarities, and the move is overall, non-canonical.
Trivia
- If a player performs a Reverse Warlock Punch on Pit, and Pit pulls out his Mirror Shield at just the right moment, Ganondorf will be sent flying across the stage a long way, longer than the distance of most stages.
- Even though this attack has obscene start-up lag, it isn't the slowest attack in Ganondorf's arsenal. His up tilt, commonly referred to as the Volcano Kick, has an even slower start-up of 81 frames.
- If the victim's damage is higher than around 200%, a Reverse Warlock Punch will have higher knockback than a Home-run Bat, which makes this move very useful in the Home-Run Contest.