It seems increasingly likely thatThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2has something to do withZelda: Skyward Sword.For a while now, fans have been wondering ifSkyward Sword’s true antagonist, the demon king Demise, has something to do withBreath of the Wild’s Malice and the mysterious new threat of Calamity Ganon. New gameplay forBreath of the Wild 2shows some elements reminiscent ofSkyward Sword,and the game’s secret title might reveal something more concrete about its connection to the demon king. Considering Demise’s deep ties to Ganon, it wouldn’t be surprising if there’s more to Calamity Ganon’s rise to power than fans know.
However, Demise was only one villain inSkyward Sword,and he wasn’t even the most visible one. In fact, for most of the game, Link is in contention with Ghirahim, not Demise. The demon lord Ghirahim thwarts Link at every turn inSkyward Swordand does his best to pursue and capture Zelda in order to return Demise to power. In theory, Demise doesn’t need Ghirahim to get involved to return to power, but it might make more sense if Ghirahim had something to do it. Ifthe theories and rumors about Demiseare true, then Ghirahim might return as an antagonist inBreath of the Wild 2.
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How Likely is Ghirahim’s Return?
On the one hand, there’s a good chance that Nintendo doesn’t feel the need to bring back Ghirahim inBreath of the Wild 2,supposing Demise really is making a comeback. After all, an event as dramatic as that would mean that Demise probably becomes the star of the show, rather than pulling strings in the background like he did inSkyward Sword.Ghirahim’s mission to restore Demise to power inSkyward Swordmight be the end of his character arc,as far as Nintendo is concerned.
On the other hand, that quest might be exactly why Ghirahim is worth bringing back. He was the one truly getting in Link’s way throughoutSkyward Sword,and he was actually successful in reviving Demise, even if he couldn’t stop Link from defeating Demise afterwards. If Ghirahim succeeded once, it stands to reason that he could succeed a second time.Breath of the Wildis so far away fromSkyward Swordin the timelinethat there’s more than enough time for Ghirahim to also be revived somehow. InBreath of the Wild 2,Nintendo could weave a narrative where Ghirahim repeats his mission a second time.
Overall, if Demise appears inBreath of the Wild 2,it seems more likely that Ghirahim will appear too than that he wouldn’t. As his most powerful servant and the avatar of his weapon of choice, Ghirahim is too important to Demise’s story to not be involved in anyway. Although the sword that Ghirahim becomesat the end ofSkyward Sworddisappears, that’s a vague enough fate that Ghirahim could still be out there somewhere. If both Ghirahim and Demise are alive and returning to power, then there’s no end to the amount of danger Hyrule could be in.
Imagining Ghirahim in Breath of the Wild
There’s a few ways Ghirahim could turn into a central threat inBreath of the Wild.The most obvious, of course, is that he might be responsible for resurrecting Demise again and restoring him to his former glory.Skyward Swordfans might remember that Ghirahim tried to sacrifice Zelda to Demise to resurrect the demon king. While it seems a little unlikely that that’s happened again inBreath of the Wild 2,considering the prominent role Zelda has had in trailers so far, maybe Ghirahim sacrificed Ganondorf to Demise instead. It’d make sense thatGanondorf, the heir to Demise’s hatredand manifestation of the eternal curse on Link, would house the kind of dark power necessary to bring the true Demise back to life.
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Alternatively,Breath of the Wild 2might put a greater emphasis on Ghirahim’s status as Demise’s weapon in disguise. He might alternate between being Demise’s sword and being an independent agent taking on tasks for Demise as they work together to take over Hyrule. Link might have to fight Demise multiple times over the course of the game as hepossesses Ganondorf’s corpse or just generally regains his strength, and in that time he’ll wield Ghirahim. This angle for Ghirahim would be a good way to bring the Master Sword back into prevalence inBreath of the Wild 2.After all, he’s supposed to serve as a foil for the Master Sword and Fi throughoutSkyward Sword,so it’d make sense to bring that theme back.
One may also wonder if there’s any chance of Ghirahim coming back on his own. If Demise is too far gone to return inBreath of the Wild,then Ghirahim could still resort to revenge or claim power for himself. It’d make sense for him to attempt to restore Hyrule to the way he remembered it in his mad quest for vengeance, creating new flying islands. Themagic hinted at byBreath of the Wild 2trailers doesn’t particularly look like Ghirahim’s magic, which had a very unique geometric style, so Ghirahim probably isn’t acting on his own. If Demise is responsible for the game’s events, though, then it can be expected that Ghirahim is there to help him.
Ghirahim’s Return to The Legend of Zelda
It’d be pretty exciting to see Ghirahim return inBreath of the Wild 2.ManyZeldafans considered Ghirahim a highlight ofSkyward Sword,praising him as an interesting alternative to Ganondorf. Ghirahim is much more passionate, expressive, and chaotic than Ganondorf, but just as powerful and cunning, which made him a breath of fresh air inSkyward Sword.Zeldahasn’t had a major antagonist like that in a little while, andSkyward Sword HDis coming to Switch soon, so now seems like the perfect time to bring Ghirahim back into the mix.
Of course, it isn’t certain yet that Demise has anything to do withZelda: Breath of the Wild 2.In fact, it’s possible that Nintendo intends to takeThe Legend of Zeldain a whole new direction throughBreath of the Wild,and it’s just being coy about its new ideas. Still, there’s something suspicious aboutSkyward Swordgetting remasteredwhile theBreath of the Wildsequel involved skydiving and flying islands. Parallels drawn between the two games just keep adding up. If Demise does return, then ideally Ghirahim will be at his side. It’d be great to see Nintendo give one ofThe Legend of Zelda’s most famous and beloved villains another chance to steal the show.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2releases for Nintendo Switch in 2022.
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