Ghirahim

Demon Lord Ghirahim.
Ghirahim
Species	Sword Spirit
Hair color	White
Eye color	Black
Voiced by	Anri Katsu
Debut	The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Ghirahim is a flamboyant demonic villain who acts as one of the primary antagonists for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. He seeks the revival of his master, Demise, who is his true master, and in the end it he is revealed to be the living spirit of Demise's sword. He is thus also the evil analogue of Fi.

Background

In his sword form, Ghirahim was originally Demise's weapon during the time when he waged war against Hylia. Demise was ultimately defeated and sealed away by the goddess, but Ghirahim did not receive this same treatment. Ghirahim acted in Demises's place for the following centuries, referring to himself as the demon lord and taking control of the hordes of monsters inhabiting the surface world. However, these were all means for Ghirahim to find a way to revive his master, and he planned to do so by finding and using Hylia's sacred energy in a magic ritual. He was somehow able to learn of the destiny that Hylia had set into motion, as she had given up her divine form and the Triforce to be reborn in a mortal body, and she had armed a chosen hero with a legendary sword known as the Goddess Sword, which would eventually become the Master Sword. It is likely that Ghirahim's rivalry with the player, Link, seems to be motivated by the fact that he is a living sword and wants to prove himself better than the Master Sword.

Ghirahim eventually set his sights on Hylia's reincarnated form, Zelda, and despite the cloud barrier he was able to attack with a tornado that brought her to the surface. Zelda was saved from his underlings by the elderly Impa, but Ghirahim soon began trying to track her as she made her way across the land. In the Faron Province, Ghirahim saw Link enter the woods and followed him into Skyview Temple. He knew that Zelda was in the temple as well for a purification ceremony, but he instead chose to engage Link in battle. Link was able to damage him until Ghirahim chose to end the battle. He credited Link's survival to his sword only. Ghirahim claimed that he was only toying with Link until Zelda had left to prevent the two from being reunited. He told Link that he was free to run and play, but that he would kill him next time. Ghirahim was later excited when he heard that his men had captured Zelda at the Earth Temple, but Impa had rescued her by the time he arrived. Ghirahim had to make do with taking his anger out on Link when he arrived, and he did so by summoning the monster Scaldera to do battle with him. Ghirahim later located the Gate of Time at the Temple of Time and attacked Impa in order to access Zelda and the Gate. Just as he overpowered Impa, Link stepped in and was able to distract Ghirahim while Impa and Zelda passed through the Gate, which they destroyed behind them. Ghirahim was infuriated by this setback and left, claiming that Link was not significant enough to kill.

Ghirahim ready for battle.

After this point, Ghirahim became desperate to find a way to revive Demise, as Zelda would strengthen Demise's seal in the past, and with Zelda gone there was no way for Ghirahim to perform his ceremony. He began searching the local structures for clues and became "sulky" when he found nothing. Ghirahim met Link again at the Ancient Cistern, where he compared Link to an annoying gadfly and empowered the nearby sentinel Koloktos to battle Link. Ghirahim's next stop was the Fire Sanctuary, where he stumbled upon ancient inscriptions that revealed there was a second Gate of Time, which changed his mood to "giggly". Link arrived at this point, which lead Ghirahim to believe that they were bound by a thread of fate as opposed to mere coincidence. He questioned Link about the second Gate's location, and when Link refused to relent, Ghirahim punished him with another attack. He claimed he was not going easy on Link this time, but he was still defeated. This enraged Ghirahim, as he believed that the sword's power should not matter as his opponent was only a human child. He warned Link that he had "awakened a wrath to burn for eons" and promised to submit Link to "eternal torment".

Ghirahim did not show up for some time afterwards, as he was likely consumed by his search for the second Gate. In the meantime, Link was able to gather the Triforce and used its power to destroy Demise while dropping part of Skyloft (the Isle of the Goddesses) into its original place, the pit where Demise had been sealed. Ghirahim sneaked into the Sealed Temple at some point. Zelda had awakened from her slumber due to Demise's destruction. Shortly afterwards, Ghirahim revealed his presence and captured the spirit maiden. He cast Groose and the old lady aside with ease, and he did not want to waste time with Link. Ghirahim took her through the Sealed Temple's Gate of Time to the past, where Demise was still alive. He caught the past Impa by surprise and knocked her out before bringing Zelda to the spot at the bottom of the Sealed Grounds where Demise had been sealed. Ghirahim began performing the magic ritual, and it was only a matter of time until Link showed up to try to stop him. So he erected a series of magical barriers which temporarily barred Link's progress down the pit and sent a majority of the monster horde after him. Link still managed to reach Ghirahim before the ceremony was complete. Ghirahim was ready to finish Link once and for all. He set Zelda to the side and set up magical floating platforms to fight Link on, and he charged himself to his full power.

Ghirahim regretted letting Link live for so long because he did not want him to think they were equals, and he claimed he was only being dignified in not killing Link earlier. Ghirahim had no more time for mercy and prepared to subject Link to a quick and painful death that he called the "endless plunge". He referred to himself as a "weapon without mercy", which is when his form briefly flashed hint at his sword form. Link was still able to turn the tables on Ghirahim by knocking him off the ledges repeatedly and attacking his chest until he was defeated a last time. Ghirahim was humiliated by his defeat and could not comprehend why he could not defeat the human by himself, but he then revealed that he had left the magic ceremony running during their battle, and it was finally finished. Demise was freed from his seal, and Zelda's spirit was drained from her so that he would regain his true form. Ghirahim welcomed Demise back, and Demise replied by paralyzing him and releasing his sword form. Ghirahim laughed as this happened. Demise used the sword for the final battle with Link, and it disintegrated once Demise was fatally wounded by Link. This presumably was Ghirahim's end.

Personality

Ghirahim is known for his very flamboyant and dramatic personality. He performs all of his tasks with a gleeful flare and has a habit of acting overly sensual towards others. Ghirahim is singlemindedly devoted to his master and his resurrection. He is still very narcissistic, which could be part of the reason he calls himself by the title of Demon Lord and seems to propel his rivalry with Link. Due to his true nature, it could probably be moreso considered a rivalry with the Master Sword. His brimming self-confidence also leads to him being very infuriated by all complications to his plans, which he himself acknowledges as a character flaw, and he takes out his anger on anyone he can. Ghirahim additionally has a tendency of stating his emotions aloud in an exaggeratedly theatrical manner, whether positive or negative.

Despite his endless pride in himself, Ghirahim is ultimately nothing more than a tool to Demise, as shown in the blunt manner in which Demise turns Ghirahim back into sword form without otherwise acknowledging his existence. Ghirahim's laughter shows that he is still perfectly fine with this.

Abilities

Ghirahim has a variety of abilities which make more sense with the revelation that he is a sword spirit. He most notably can block swords using just two fingers from his hand, and in many instances he will try to snag the sword to fight back with it. He can also summon a variety of swords that he uses for quick, sweeping attacks. These swords usually resemble rapiers, although his final weapon is a very large and thick sword that can be chipped away at to weaken him. Ghirahim also has a number of magical abilities at his disposal. He can also teleport and summon small, red diamond-shaped objects that he uses as projectiles or a barrier. When Ghirahim is at full power, his body becomes a black armor that is impervious to all attacks. In this form, he can only be harmed by striking the red gem on his chest.

Within and outside of battle, Ghirahim loves to employ graceful movements. His tongue also appears to be prehensile, but he only briefly uses it to taunt Link.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• Ghirahim appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as an Assist Trophy. Once released, he will attack opponents with his sword and knives, and he also teleports around the area. He has also appeared as a normal trophy in the 3DS/Wii U game and as an Ace-rank Primary Spirit in Ultimate. When fought in a Spirit battle, Ghirahim's Spirit would possess Corrin (with increased movement speed and melee weapon power) and fight alongside his Assist Trophy self in battle. His Assist Trophy also figures prominently into the Spirit battle for The Imprisoned's Spirit, where he fights to protect it (while it possesses a giant King K. Rool).

Hyrule Warriors

Ghirahim appears in Hyrule Warriors as an unlockable playable character. In the game's Legend Mode, he appears as a boss enemy in several of the scenarios, but he is also playable in the three scenarios starring Ganondorf. He is unlocked as a playable character through Adventure Mode. In battle, his weapon is known as the Demon Blade, and he has a variety of moves based on the abilities he uses in Skyward Sword, including teleportation. His Focus Spirit involves transforming into his black armored form.

In the storyline of Legend Mode, Ghirahim's first chronological appearance was in the scenario of Linkle's Tale known as "The Demon Lord's Plan". In this, Ghirahim was based at the Sealed Grounds and discovered a Gate of Souls. He attempted to harness its power to revive his master, but it did not work properly and instead only summoned multiple small versions of The Imprisoned. Ghirahim made an attempt to take total control of the Sealed Grounds in hopes that it would make the ceremony work correctly, but Fi and Linkle intervened. They defeated the miniature versions of The Imprisoned and then Ghirahim himself. He was forced to retreat, and then he spearheaded an attack on Skyloft in the scenario of Cia's Tale known as "The Demon Lord" with a more successfully summoned Imprisoned under his control. Cia, Volga and Wizzro intervened in the battle, as they wanted Ghirahim to fight for them, but Ghirahim did not submit to them until they defeated him in battle. He did also seem to sense a presence in Cia that confused him - referring to Ganondorf's spirit, which was reincarnated from Demise's hatred. Ghirahim proceeded to work with Cia's forces in forcing Fi and the Skyloft forces to retreat.

Despite that victory, the battle between Ghirahim and Skyloft was waged anew in the main storyline scenario "Land in the Sky". Ghirahim worked with Volga in this attack, although he did not seem to care for him. The tides of this battle turned when the Link from the game's present era arrived and worked with Fi to fight off the dark forces. Ghirahim was defeated and retreated while leaving everything in Volga's hands. He was annoyed when Link won the battle, but he also saw a strategy to destroy his forces from the inside, as he started to infiltrate the minds of some of the soldiers under Link's command. Ghirahim next guarded the Gate of Souls at the Sealed Grounds in "Sealed Ambition". Link and Fi led their forces in an attempt to reach the Gate of Souls, and Ghirahim sprang his plan into action, making various soldiers turn rogue and attack their former comrades. He also summoned The Imprisoned again to try to deal with them. However, Link and Fi overcame all of those enemies and proceeded to defeat Ghirahim in battle. Link then cast Ghirahim into the Gate of Souls and sealed it shut.

Ghirahim was later freed from his imprisonment when a fully powered Ganondorf summoned him from his imprisonment in "Ganondorf's Return". He and Zant both swore loyalty to Ganondorf and acted as his lieutenants. Ghirahim would later remark that he liked working with Ganondorf because he reminded him of his old master, showing that he was unaware of the true connection between the two. Under Ganondorf's command, they helped to take over the Gerudo Desert for him. Aftewards, they helped with stealing the Triforce of Power from Lana in "The March of the Demon King" and then the other two Triforce pieces from Link and Zelda in "Battle of the Triforce". In the scenario "Enduring Resolve", Ghirahim and Zant were left in control of the Gerudo Desert. They first tried using decoys of themselves to lure Link and Zelda's forces into traps. However, the Hyrulean forces ultimately overcame the traps and proceeded to fight the real Zant and Ghirahim. Both of them were defeated for good in the following battle.

Trivia

• Eiji Aonuma has stated in an interview with Nintendo Power magazine that Ghirahim was designed specifically to contrast the image of Ganon; whereas Ganon has usually been depicted as a very masculine villain, Ghirahim was made to have a "unisex-like, genderless feel". Ghirahim's genderless nature also matches his ultimate role as a sword spirit, as Fi has been described in the same terms.
• Part of his name may come from "Ghirah", a Sanskrit word meaning "the terrible", and the ending of his name is notably evocative of Aganhim's name. This is notable considering that both are antagonists who serve Demon King and ultimately turn out to primarily be an extension of the demon lord.
• His sword form resembles a dark version of the Master Sword, which strengthens his role as the evil counterpart for Fi.
• Ghirahim notably has a pointed right ear and a round left ear. The significance of this is uncertain.