To Ganon or not to Ganon
A discovery found by the website Legends of Localization has folks debating the ending for Zelda: Breath of the Wildin a way that didn’t quite happen at launch — what seemed like a standard ending isn’t so obvious when you compare both the original Japanese script and the English translation.
Spoilers, obviously, if you haven’t finished the game.
Okay so what’s different? Well, just several lines really, but they change enoughto warrant a conversation. In the original Japanese version, Ganon is said to be “born from his obsessive refusal to give up on revival.” But in English, the translation states, “He has given up on reincarnation and assumed his pure, enraged form.” In other words, the latter implies that this is his last stand, and once defeated, he’s gone forever. This seems to be at odds with a final confirmation in the English translation that “Ganon is gone for now.”
Of course, given that money is to be made and Ganon is one of the most iconic video game villains ever, I doubt that will be the case — plus, the original Japanese version is probably the most accurate. My guess is that “Calamity Ganon” as we know him in Breath of the Wildis dead. But as we know the Demise curse is enacted upon Link through the ages, so even if Breathwas the latest game in the timeline, that doesn’t preclude another Ganon from popping up.
Still, it’s an interesting catch and a discussion I love being a part of.
Breath of the Wild’s Ganon in English and Japanese[Legends of Localization]