In the climax of Twilight Princess, after Link delivers the final blow to Ganondorf, the Gerudo King stumbles forward and utters one final message before going letting his consciousness slip away. Ganondorf implies that this conflict transcends the current battle and represents only one chapter in a history of war between “light and shadow”, as he puts it. That’s all he has time to say before his injuries take him, but his description of their conflict as a cycle is rather reminiscient of the final words of Demise in Skyward Sword. A deeper look into the game files reveals that Ganondorf’s final words originally bore an even greater resemblance to Demise.
Skyward Sword is an origin story for many things within the Zelda universe. It makes a point to detail the beginnings of many key features of the Zelda world such as the foundation of Hyrule, the creation of the Master Sword, and, of course, the initial conflict between the Hero, the Goddess, and the Demon King. Demise, the antagonist and Demon King of Skyward Sword, delivers a brief monologue to the Hero of the Sky during their final conflict in a similar fashion to the Ganondorf of Twilight Princess discussed earilier. Demise’s speech, however, is slighly longer and much more specific. He compliments the Hero on his fighting skills before making it clear that his hatred for the Goddess will never die, describing a never ending cycle in which his hatred follows the Hero and the Goddess forever.
In the files of Twilight Princess, the longer version of Ganondorf’s final words bear a striking resemblance to Demise’s final words, having Ganon describe a never ending cycle in which an incarnation of the Hero will be met with an incaration of his own. It seems undeniable that this cut speech was repurposed for Demise, as they cover basically the exact same ground. In fact, even the final, shortened version of Ganondorf’s speech has some undeniable similarities to Demise, as they both remark that their conflict is “not the end”. It seems possible that Ganondorf’s speech was cut for the sake of being used in a more tonally appropriate context, such as Skyward Sword. Demise is, after all, generally considered to be the in world origin of the Demon King’s lineage and is thus much more well suited to deliver this message of a never ending cycle.
The Demon King’s final words to the Hero are some of the most powerful moments within the Zelda series, and Demise’s final words to the Hero of the Sky is one of my favorites among them. I still remember reading it for the first time as a teenager and getting excited as I realized what he was describing, making all the games feel so much more connected than they ever had before. I have to completely agree with the decision to take this speech away from the Ganondorf of Twilight Princess, as it feels much more appropriate coming out of Demise.
