While The Legend of Zelda series is famous for its recurring races like the Goron, Zora, and Rito, one race that often goes unnoticed is the demons. Demons play a significant antagonistic role throughout The Legend of Zelda series, with most of its primary villains belonging to this race. Consequently, there exists a substantial amount of lore surrounding these enigmatic demons and their impact on the perpetual battle between good and evil in Hyrule's history.
When it comes to demons in Zelda games, there is a fine line between a demon and a monster. Typically, demons employ monsters as minions for their nefarious purposes. Demons are believed to have emerged as a threat during the Era of Hylia, when the Demon King Demise endeavored to seize the Triforce from the goddess. Since then, demons have resurfaced at various points in Hyrule's history, with the primary objective of dominating the world by shrouding it in darkness.
The Presence of Demons Throughout The Legend of Zelda Series
Several notable demons have appeared in the Zelda series, most of them acting as major antagonists with malicious intentions. Many game villains have held the title of Demon King, such as Demise in Skyward Sword, Malladus in Spirit Tracks, and notably, Ganondorf in several installments. However, not all demons are inherently evil. For instance, Skyward Sword's Batreaux desires to become human to alleviate people's fear of him, a goal he achieves with Link's help through Gratitude Crystals.
Key Demons in The Zelda Games
While the Demon Kings may be the most renowned examples of demons in the Zelda franchise, there have been several other notable demons who have appeared as villains. The entity within Majora's Mask in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is a mysterious demon whose true form remains unseen, as it assumes various appearances during the game's final boss fight. This demon, Majora, sows chaos by possessing the wearer of its mask, which is Skull Kid in this particular game, and utilizes this host to attempt to annihilate the world of Termina.
Another recurring demon in the Zelda series is Vaati, who first appears as the antagonist in The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, and subsequently serves as the main villain in Four Swords Adventures on the GameCube, as well as in The Minish Cap on the Game Boy Advance. In this installment, the story of Vaati unfolds, revealing how he became a demon in his pursuit of the power of the Picori Blade and the Light Force. Vaati, once a Minish under the mentorship of the craftsman Ezlo, succumbed to corruption due to his obsession with power, ultimately stealing the Light Force from Princess Zelda and transforming into a bat-like demon.
Vaati's story illustrates that various races can be corrupted and transformed into demons through powerful magic. Conversely, Skyward Sword's Ghirahim is a demon who masquerades as a human throughout the game while working to revive his master, the Demon King Demise. Upon the successful resurrection of Demise during the game's climax, Ghirahim unveils his true form as the blade wielded by Demise, once again demonstrating that demons can assume various forms to deceive those obstructing their objectives.