Ghirahim, The Sadistic Narcissist - Zelda Character Study 

I think my favorite thing that never gets mentioned is that Ghirahim and Fi are references to the Muramasa and Masamune legend in Japanese myth Ghirahim is the muramasa sword which is bloodthirsty and egotistical Fi is the masamune blade which is calm and rational.

He immediately recalls his name, he says. ''...Oh, hello there, Burger.'' I can't be the only one who laughed at that.

Ghirahim is forever a staple in the memories of many Legend Of Zelda fans as the most fleshed out villain and fashion icon

Besides his taunting sadism, part of what I found fascinating about Ghirahim is that he simultaneously has narcissistic traits, and yet, he has an incredible need for Demise's approval, doing absolutely everything he can to please him, which, by all means, is a trait more associated with dependence and not narcissism. Despite this, he's totally ok with being basically a servant, because it's *DEMISE* we're talking about here. This leads me to consider the following about Ghirahim's thought process, "Demise is the greatest, and as his weapon, this means that I, by extension, am the 2nd Greatest, and everyone else is garbage compared to me." His ego could very well stem from him placing Demise on such a huge pedastal, and that's so neat to think about! Also noteable, as a blade, he is incapable of reaching his full power without a wielder, someone to *control him* rather than him trying to control Zelda, and Link. It's such a neat and subtle contrast to his constant need to be in control of everything for sake of his goal, yet also plays into his conviction by displaying that due to his need to fulfill his role, he's willing to throw aside whatever pride he has for sake of the only one he views as better than himself. His master, Demise.

I love how Ghirahim in all the dialogue that we know makes him out to be somewhat more evil than Ganondorf because he takes sheer enjoyment out of inflicting pain - typical trait of a crazy sadist, I suspect. It would be interesting to see him return as a villain in the series perhaps as a loyal servant to Ganondorf?

I LOVE all of Ghirahim's dialogue. Everything he says has so much meaning to it. I love Ghirahim, and I do not believe that he dies.

If Ghirahim existed in our universe, he'd be a theatre major.

Ghirahim is a great Zelda villain because he’s actually fighting Link while doing his mission to capture Zelda. He’s actually getting things done to revive an even bigger villain. No other villain does this in the Zelda series.

For me, Ghirahim really stands out as Link's true greatest foe. Whereas most villains did test Link, they mostly stood in the way of his motivation to face the challenges of protecting others. Ghirahim knows the best way to attack your enemy is to prey on what they care about, in essence, he attacks his heart.

"Hows that for a colorful choice of words?" The whole dang rainbow. Shades included.

6:14 “Now you’ve done it, Burger.”

the best part in that girahim was designed with the sole purpose of being upsetting to encounter and boy did they delivered that feeling

15:08 I feel this theory has at least some merit to it. Demise had incredible power over the denizens of the earth before he was sealed, possibly leading to Ghirahim idolizing him, and said idolization being the motive for reviving him. However, Link's victory against Demise could've completely flipped G's view, as all that work going into reviving Demise was for nothing. I still don't think Ghirahim will return though, considering that the sword disappears into purple fragments (similar to the purple smoke enemies disappear into), and not into the usual diamond shapes associated with his teleportation.

Not me doing research for a lengthy post canon fanfic where ghirahim eventually becomes links sword

I always wondered why Ghirahim is able to act autonomously but Fi can't do anything without Link.

this is a great analysis, but i would like to mention one thing. i believe the reason ghirahim doesnt call you by name before lanayru is because he never learned it. link never speaks to him, and i doubt hes hearing it from anywhere else. he only starts to call you by name at lanayru bc thats when he learns it, when impa and zelda are saying it. i believe he would call you by name before if he knew it, bc he certainly was thinking abt it to try to call you by it at the earth temple. the only problem being he didnt know it. i think the same applies to impa. he never heard her name before lanayru, and i believe its only said once, and i believe its at that moment impa’s barrier is also breaking. so it was probably drowned out by that noise, as well as his own laughter, so he likely didnt hear it well and wasnt sure if that was correct. but overall, this was a great video. keep up the good work, my dude. some of the lines got a laugh out of me too!

Love this new series! In the first battle with Ghirahim if you don’t do anything when he grabs your sword Ghirahim will take the Goddess sword from you and effortlessly beat you with it before throwing it aside like trash. Always thought that was an interesting interaction I wasn’t aware of until recent play-through. Can’t wait for the next one!!

I mean,,, with the theory that Fi might be returning in some form or way in BOTW2, it's 100% a possibility for Ghirahim to some back as well with her

If David Bowie played Ganondorf You'd get Ghirahim

I love Ghirahim.....even though he evil ngl He's just slayy 💅💅💅

I think it would make a certain amount of sense for Ghirahim to grow disillusioned and abandon Demise. Simply because Ghirahim is the antithesis to Fi. Where Fi's loyalty to Hylia is unconditional, Ghirahim's may very much be conditional.

Literally number 1 of my favourite villains his persona is just so brilliant

I'm a Ghirahim fan and Ghirahim is my favorite character in the Zelda Franchise so I definitely approve of this video

I love how you displayed his personality so well, Ghirahim is my favorite Zelda character and I'm so glad someone is bringing attention to him 💜💜💜 I really hope he somehow makes it into BTOW 2.

I’m just wondering how the hell Demise has been able to tolerate him all these years… In all seriousness, the Sword Spirits definitely need to make a comeback in TOTK.

I agree somewhat with the idea of Ghirahim dying, and I adore this character study of him, but if he did return in BOTW 2 (with Link going back up into the sky islands the Hylians used to live on, connecting it pretty clearly back to Skyward Sword, plus it's other connections) I think it'd make sense too. even though Skyward Sword was "The First" in the timeline, so he would have been gone for a very long time, maybe it'd be similar to Demise being sealed away and having to wait for Ghirahim to resurrect/summon him? maybe Ganon would see Ghirahim (or rather the legends of him) as beneficial to his cause, and would resurrect/summon him? I could never see Ghirahim serving anyone else but Demise, but Ganon could possibly pull him in with promise that Demise could be resurrected. Since there are theories of Fi coming back in BOTW 2 I really hope Ghirahim would be brought back as well. Whether as a side villain (which I think is the most likely) or as a second sword to Link (like a duel wielding thing- but like I said earlier I can't see him serving another, and if Nintendo ever went down this route I feel it'd be a waiting to betray Link at the end to try and resurrect Demise) it would be a great come back. Though it would probably be easiest for Nintendo to leave him gone instead of bringing him back as that'd cause more complications to gameplay, and I think it would be difficult to have Ghirahim as a villain in a open world instead of a story driven one. and if he was coming back Nintendo probably would've hinted at it more openly for more game hype since he's a fan favorite. Either way I hope with everything that he wasn't just a one off villain, with so much potential he would be great to have in future games. Sorry this was so ranty, I never get to talk about Ghirahim with anyone so a character study of him's comment section seemed like the best place lol

Honestly after what happened to the master sword in Tears of the Kingdom, and with confirmation that Fi is still in fact the master sword, I was really disappointed to not see Ganondorf use Demise’s sword in the newest game. I was really hoping it would return

I'm not so sure that Girahim died at the end of Skyward Sword. Rather, I believe that he teleported off to carry out his master's last wish of ensuring that the Hylians would eternally suffer at the hands of Demise's curse by being the one to cast the curse itself.

Let's all be real here. We love this crazy yet fabulous demon, and he's left his mark. A fun villain that we can take serious, and who actually achieved what others couldn't even be close. Sure there were few, but this guy, he was not only your biggest enemy, your rival but also a major threat. Also, Ghirahim's just a lot of fun, and he went out with that kind of glory.

Ghirahim: “now you’ve done it burger >:(“

I often theorize that Ghirahim reincarnated as secondary villains such as Vaati, Zant, or even Majora If he's really gone that's okay too I just think think that because they are all strange and eccentric, treating evil like a funny game.

Oh hello there, Burger.

this is why I love the character Ghirahim so much! Ghirahim's so cool! and like he said very fleshed out, which is one of the reasons that make Ghirahim so cool.

I think it’s possible that he would see demise losing to link and then abandoning him once realizing his perception of demise was wrong and that he wasn’t the strongest

Oh god when he licks his swords.... D: and yeah he would've showed up in another zelda game by now if he were still alive, because skyward sword is so far back in the timeline

With the Ouroboros theory that TOTK brings to the table with the timelines resetting, I wonder if when Demise is defeated, Girahim simply flees and bides his time before attempting to revive Demise again, resetting the theorized cycle. Definitely an interesting possibility.

Ok so I know I’m late but I’d like to point out something VERY interesting. Comparing him and fi ghirahim has ears like a hylian and fi does not. It’s stated that the longer ears the closer to the goddess you are which addressing what I just said leaves many questions regarding said characters, Ghirahim is full of emotions and has more traits that of a person and fi acts like a robot, we all know they are polar opposites but I just wanted to point out the hylian ear thing! Also shout out to some of the amazing theories I’ve seen here!

Ghirahim is my personal favorite Zelda villain and character overall.

CHARACTER STUDYYYYY!! I've been so pumped for this! Girahim is great, and this video is great too!! I love how intelligent he is as a baddie... I feel like this series needs to flesh out it's antagonists better. Sure, Ganondorf is pretty well fleshed out, but he's in multiple games. I love that they were able to do so much with Girahim in one game. I LOVE HIS SUPPLE SKIN!! 😂 LOL he's just so outrageous. Great point about the character foil with Fi! I definitely agree that he was written very well, in a way that pulls the player's emotions into it. Again, I really think he's one of the most fleshed out (and interesting) characters!! Another great video, Burger man!! Keep em coming 😊👍🏼🎉

You forgot to add "sexiest" in the title ( well ok, just behind Sidon )

All my memories surrounding Ghirahim are of me simping for him and calling him a “snacc” constantly lol

Ghirahim best character ever

Great job CaptBurgerson!

m favorite thing about Ghirahim is his blade form looks like an evil mirror of the Master Sword which i feel like is very much like demise himself being something of a mirror to the Goddess Hylia

I’d like to posit my own interpretation. Ghirahim *is* a psychopath, in my opinion. His loyalty to Demise is pure fanaticism, and he doesn’t see Demise as a person; rather, Demise is just a way to cause mass destruction and death. Ghirahim isn’t a loyal servant of Demise, he’s a loyal servant of the concept of suffering itself, something that they both take great pleasure in inflicting. It’s also worth noting that psychopaths and sociopaths do have emotions, especially if they possess narcissistic traits like Ghirahim clearly does.

I've been waiting for Zelda character studies. Thank you!

Another great vid! After playing and beating this game (FINALLY!), it’s one of my favorites of the series

I really liked your analysis! Very insightful and well thought out

i have no words for how great this video is, but i can say i couldn't help watching it a second time. it's so good!

the best zelda theme.

I barely won the first fight with Ghirahim. I was still getting used to the motion controls, so fighting an enemy that would actually respond to your commands and even yank Fi out of your hands if you didn't know how to keep up with him had me on my back-foot the entire fight. When Ghirahim left because he couldn't sense Zelda anymore, I didn't feel like I earned that Heart Container, heheheheheh!

No but really, he's such a good villain and he's my favorite character in the loz series. But god damn, finally killing him made me extremely happy. As you said in the video, it felt very rewarding

Awesome video! Can't wait to see more character studies! Especially any character from Majora's Mask!💜

This is an amazing video!

This is very well done!

Thx! Wonderfully done. PLEASE DO MORE of these character analyses! For recurring characters you could choose a couple of games where similar traits are shown like 2-3 games with a similar thread for Impa, Zelda, Link, Ganondorf, Epona, or minor characters. Or the one time characters are great too! 🎉. Thx again.

The perfect anime villan

Excellent video again, sir.

Here I am commenting on a year old video, but here’s a far fetched theory. Vaati is a reincarnation of Ghirahim. Both are smooth and somewhat fashionable warlocks of dark magic. Vaati reviving Ganondorf in FSA can be paralleled to Ghirahim resurrecting Demise.

I just realized something. Yes, the Ghirahim we fought against in Skyward Sword most likely did die, but he died in the past, which means that the Ghirahim in that time has a chance of making an appearance in a future Zelda game

12:58 I never thought about it like that, but yeah, it makes perfect sense

Can’t wait for this

This video is amazing good job. +1 sub

Won’t be able to make it to the premiere, but will watch it without a doubt!

It’s funny, when I first played Skyward Sword back in 2011, I remember thinking when did Ganondorf have an apprentice? Learning who he was and who his master was a good subversion of expectations in my opinion.

I love Ghirihim he's one of my top favorite characters

Ghirahim absolutely had no reason to not kill Link at the Gate of Time in Lanayru, and even less at the Cistern, by that point he knew Link was a certified threat to his plan, he should have actually dealt with it personally instead of just leaving, not even leaving Link with a boss at the Gate of Time

A bit early for this night owl but I'll try my bestest to attend, sir.

Oh, my mistake. I’ve been calling him LADY Ghirahim!

Imagine if ghirahim had realized he could get to the spring of courage from outside.

ghirahim is the demise (dark) counterpart to Fi, the blade the counterpart to the mastersword, and as Demise is the counterpart to Hylia. I'm watching, so I'll wait to see if you touch on that

The creepiest villain of all time

Zestiest mf alive

True but its kind of imaginable to think that ghirahim wouldnt want to serve a master whos not the most powerfull right? Could also be that demise was the cause of the swords diparture.

he is a bicon

At the Temple of Time scene, I like to think that Link communicated his name with that yell of attack.

I really hope Astor from Age of Calamity is Ghirahim reincarnated

Could other swords have spirits in them?

Oh my god, it's Harley from Pokemon! uwu

I'll just say it; forget everyone's ''favoritest magnificence'' blabla called Breath1. Ghirahim single-handedly (swordedly?!) revived the 3D Zelda series. Ocarina and Majora were my last favorite 3D Zeldas before SS; both are timeless Masterpieces. But after TP so brutally stuck in a knife in Zant- and winded up just going back to grand-dad Dorf again and _again,_ I practically fell out of love with the series. Until Skyward of course. Breath1's 'plot' simply doesn't hold a candle to the magnificence that is Ghirahim - Zelda's ''3D Agahnim''.

I don't believe Ghirahim died. I stand by GameBandit's theory that before Demise disappeared, he transfered his power to Ghirahim to start the neverending cycle of the reincarnation of himself, Link, and Zelda, in hopes that, even though he didn't win this time, he might in the future. Here's the link to the video if anyone's interested: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PEeVwqRa0-o.html

Tbh what I’ve gathered from seeing Ghirahim in Skyward Sword is that he’s queer coded. As a queer myself, I feel that he is one of the top characters in the game because of his flamboyant personality, and humorous sadism. Like the moment I saw his first cutscene, I knew he wasn’t straight. And ppl can say that “it’s an interpretation” like sure. But there’s a history of queer coding. All in all the Nintendo failed successfully in making a villain that is very gay and loveable LOL

I noticed that do didn't mention that he's a queer coded villain. I don't exactly like seeing queer people villainized untastefully in my media. Relying on that old trope is the reason he's not on my favorite list of Zelda characters. Acknowledging that would have added greater depth to this analysis.

wait but like, he looks kinda like vaati

Thank you for making this vid. I really love Ghirahim and is one of my favourite characters of all games. Also I love playing against him. I think a lot people doesnt appreciate how well designed is Ghirahim. I have known a lot of people and everytime when I ask what they think of him is "Very gay and weird" in a very despective way. Seriously, a comeback of him will be the greatest to the series in all this time

If bro had an actual voice he'd sound like hisoka

😎👍👍

GHIRAHIM IS A GAY ICON

Sure, ghirahim is selfish and sadistic, but at the same time, he does that narcissism of his in such a masculine way, god.... i just cant help but shipping him with link or browsing some artwork with him in some sexy poses

Guy calls girahim the most well written villian Wind waker ganondorf: what about my :,(