Breath of the Wild Easter egg teases Calamity Ganon's return in BotW2
Ganondorf, is that you?
Ever since the E3 2019 reveal of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 news about the title has been few and far between. This has left fans to theorize what Nintendo could have planned for the hotly anticipated sequel and one thesis that has gained traction on Reddit claims to reveal Ganondorf’s role in Breath of the Wild sequel and the origin of Calamity Ganon.
It all starts with the Calamity Ganon Tapestry that depicts a hero battling Ganon with the Master Sword. That hero was widely thought to be Link, but upon closer inspection, the drawing has flowing red hair and a long, pointed nose. Those have been staples of Ganon's visage in nearly every Legend of Zelda game. His reanimated corpse even has a full head of red hair in the BotW 2 teaser trailer.
Ganondorf might actually be the fabled hero seen in the tapestry, and the true evil behind Calamity Ganon could be something far more ancient and sinister than the Gerudo: Demise.
Demise, from 'Skyward Sword.'
Demise is a demon that was revealed to be the evil incarnate in Skyward Sword and before the events of that game, led a campaign to obtain the Triforce. The Triforce is a three-part ancient relic left behind by the Golden Goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore after they created Hyrule. Its three pieces are almost always associated with Zelda (Wisdom), Link (Courage), and finally Ganondorf (Power).
Taking some creative liberty, Redditor u/HyperiorV surmises that the hero Ganondorf battles Demise but was forced to seal the darkness within himself. In an effort to maintain the seal and revive Ganondorf, the Sheikah Tribe created a machine beneath Hyrule Castle to destroy Demise while saving Ganondorf. That clearly didn’t go according to plan.
Could that be Ganondorf and not Link?
The evil inside Ganondorf proved to be too powerful and formed Calamity Ganon. Now, based on the BotW 2 trailer, Demise’s energy might have been completely unsealed, taking control of Ganondorf’s corpse, thus the Triforce of power, and it’s up to Link and Zelda to stop him. But we might also catch glimpses of a heroic Ganondorf in the process.
“I think that we will get to see the Heroic Ganondorf in memory flashbacks, like in BotW,” wrote HyperiorV. “Perhaps as a side effect of [Link’s] magic hand. This would be in great contrast to the evil, possessed Ganondorf in the game. Maybe at the end Hero Ganondorf may even get his body revived and help fight Malice/Essence of Demise? Think about it. All three Triforce wielders working together! Now that’s a fitting conclusion.”
Could Ganondorf actually be a hero?
The Inverse Analysis — Sure, this is a tinhat foil theory, but some tidbits in BotW and the BotW 2 teaser suggest it's not entirely offbase, like King Rhoam’s statement to Link early in BotW: “The signs of a resurrection of Calamity Ganon are clear. And the power to oppose it lies dormant beneath the ground." This seems to hint at the Sheikah that was meant to destroy Demise. Plus, a theory from June 2019 that translated a portion of the green floating symbols from the BotW 2 teaser claims that they spell out “SEAL GANON.” The lair underneath Hyrule Castle clearly holds the answers, but what lurks there will remain a mystery until the eventual release of BotW 2. But it might reveal that Ganondorf isn’t exactly what we've assumed for all these years.
Breath of the Wild 2 is currently in development.
