Ganondorf's New Look In Tears Of The Kingdom Was Meant To Make Players "Fall For Him"

When concept art and trailers for The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom began circulating the internet in the months before the game’s release, fans of the franchise went wild with speculation regarding the upcoming title’s storyline and gameplay mechanics. But there was one thing almost everyone seemed to agree on: Ganondorf’s new look was hot. In a recent interview with Nintendo Dream magazine (as translated by Nintendo Everything), Tears Of The Kingdom Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi confirmed that Ganondorf’s new design was intentionally sexy.

Fujibayashi said he had two goals in mind when it came to Ganondorf’s new Tears Of The Kingdom appearance: Make him look as wicked as they come, and make him look hot enough that players of all genders would swoon.

“[The design team] 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,” Fujibayashi said.

Ganondorf has always gotten a makeover in each game he’s appeared in, but historically, his appearance has leaned more towards menacing as opposed to enticing, so it’s not surprising that players were taken aback when this “new” Ganondorf was revealed in all of his regal, ripped, man-bun-sporting glory.

“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,” Fujibayashi explained regarding the Gerudo king’s choice in attire. “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.”

Based on the player response to Ganondorf’s new appearance, it’s pretty safe to say Fujibayashi and his team successfully achieved their goals.