GPS Reads Ghirahimâs Trope Page
I like TV tropes for the most part, but they seem to have a habit of bullying my comfort character. As far as I understand, TV tropes is meant to be informal but mostly objective. But I feel like Ghirahimâs character trope list just⊠isnât. So in this post, Iâm going to go through all the tropes they listed for him, and what I think about them. So yeah, thereâs a reason thereâs a read more on this post, It'll be a long one. Also be warned, I will likely be very nitpicky and complain about the slightest details. Because this is very important to me. Here we go:
The Triforce WieldersRecurring: Goddesses and Allies, Villains and Enemies, Races Main Series: The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure
Agent Peacock: Yeah this one tracks.
Ambiguously gay: Sigh. I have no problem with people interpreting Ghirahim as gay. But assuming that every femboy is gay is getting old.
Arch-Enemy: Yes, this one is true too, but theyâre putting words into Ghirahimâs mouth here. I really donât think LInkâs race has anything to do with it. If I had trained for centuries and then was beaten again and again by someone who hadnât even finished knight school, Iâd be pretty perturbed, too. That wouldnât make me racist.
Attack Itâs Weak Point: Yes, that does happen. ⊠And itâs awful to watch.
Ax-Crazy: No. I already did a whole post on why heâs not, check it out if youâre curious, I always appreciate engagement.
Badass Cape: Hell yeah!
Badass Finger Snap: Hell yeah!
Bad Boss: Iâm willing to cut this one slack because I can understand why plenty of people interpret it this way, but the thing is, we donât know if Ghirahim always treats the monsters this way. It could be that he was saying this out of building anger and exhaustion from constantly working. Plus, he said âweâ instead of âIâ during his first cut scene, so he does consider them to be a part of the team and more than just living weapons. More than Demise would, to them or him. And also, even if he was going to kill them, it could be because if Demise learned that they failed, he would do much worse. ⊠Crap, now Iâm sad.
The Bad Guy Wins: He does manage to bring back Demise in the end. And this is a bad thing, donât get me wrong, but you have to admire how he never gave up when literally the whole universe was against him and managed to win. Just imagine if he went to such lengths for you. Maybe then you will understand just why he is my comfort character?/lh
Bare-Handed Blade Block: Yeah, and itâs freaking awesome! His fighting style is so cool, squee, I love him!/qp
Beware The Silly Ones: I donât disagree with the trope itself, but the description. Ghirahim is not a narcissist. Real narcissists donât just brag on themselves like that, theyâre much more subtle and insidious than that. They certainly donât lose it with one loss either, and definitely never admit that they have character flaws or something is their fault, all of which Ghirahim does.
BFS: Yes, he has and is a big sword and I want to give him hiltpats. And I spent over a hundred dollars to buy a replicaof his blade to do just that. I am so financiallyresponsible.
Big Bad: Yes, he can be considered the main antagonist, no arguments here.
Bitch Slap: He does, and itâs hilarious. And also merciful, because there are so much worse things he could have done to LinkâŠ
Black Magic: Okay, no. Now youâre just being petty. Yes, he has magic and he is a demon and the antagonist. But that does not make the magic itself evil. His magic is cool and beautiful, and I will not tolerate this slander!
Blank White Eyes: Yes, and since eyes are the windows to the soul, I headcanon that this represents his autonomy being stripped away by Demise.
Blatant Lies: Okay, yes. I do understand this interpretation. But I donât believe this is the case. I believe that Ghirahim genuinely did intend not to kill Link, but due to being infected by malice, which I believe him to be because the markings on his face resemble silver monsters from BOTW, he was unable to stop himself once he had started. In fact, I also believe this is why he took so long to put away his sword and turn around, because he was resisting the urge to just run Link through then and there. And he told Link he would beat him within an inch of his life after promising not to murder him both because it's something a villain would do/what Demise would want him to say, but also he had to make sure Link understood that even though he was trying to be kind, Ghirahim is not a safe person to be around, and Link has to keep his guard up and take the threat he poses seriously, despite his theatrical nature.ïżŒ
Blood Knight: Oh, for godâs sake. These people are determined to see everything Ghirahim does in the worst light, arenât they? He doesnât enjoy brutalizing weaker opponents. He literally alludes to this several times in his dialogue! (For example when he says he thinks corperal punishment is a bit harsh.) And he doesnât harm a single being that doesnât get in the way of his mission!
Blood Lust: Okay, yes. This one is true, but I donât believe thatâs all there is to it. Iâve made posts before about how I believe Ghirahimâs tongue is his way of gathering information, like his own form of dowsing. He wouldnât have a long tongue like that if it didnât serve some sort of purpose, you know?
Blow You Away: Yeah, he makes tornados. Not really related, but I imagine him just spinning around and around faster and faster until he gets dizzy in order to make one, and it makes me giggle.
Bond Villain Stupidity: Iâve made many a post before about how I believe this is deliberate on Ghirahimâs part, as some part of him does not want his abuser to return, though he doesnât want to admit it to himself. Also, you called my boy stupid! How dare!
Boss Banter: Yes he does, but he also gives you tips on how to do better. Not very nicely worded tips, but still.
Boss Remix: Yes, and itâs awesome. I love his music. It always makes me smile just to hear it.
Boss Subtitles: Yes. Not much else to say about this one.
Braggart Boss: Yeah, well, someone has to brag on him. Nobody else does.
Breaking the fourth wall: Itâs not actually his theme, itâs a unique melody. But I understand why because that song is actually kinda challenging to hum.
Broken Armor Boss Battle; Yes, and itâs absolutely brutal. I guess people donât usually notice that thought because theyâre busy trying to win. And most people donât notice Ghirahimâs pain because heâs so good at making light of it and playing the villain.
Camp: He is, and itâs awesome.
Catch And Return: Yup.
Catch Phrase Insult: Yeah, he calls link boy. And you want to know who else calls link that? Demise. Whoâs to say he didnât learn it from experience?
Character Ticks: Not just ticks, stimming! My cute lil neurodivergent boy./qp
Chrome Champion: Yes. And I headcanon that his silver form is this, too. His skin is full of tiny metal filings to make it tougher, thus its coloring. And his bones are pure black metal, and they are what makes up his armor in his dark form.
Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: Yes, and I think itâs very clever.
Cool Sword: Itâs about time you said something nice about Ghirahim! Yes, he is, and Demise never deserved him.
Crucified Hero Shot: Yes. And itâs absolutely horrific. I donât understand how people just gloss over it. Even TV Tropes calls it one of the most nightmarish moments in all of Zelda. Now just imagine if the game showed blood in it⊠But no, no, no, no, no you did not say that he doesnât seem to mind! For godâs sake, just listening to that laughter, you can tell that itâs not a happy sound! And the facial expression he makes, you can tell he is trying not to scream. God, this makes me angryâŠ
Dark Is Evil: âŠ
Deal With The Devil: Yes, he does. Demise never would have done so, and I think that Ghirahim knew damn well link would not accept it. But it was all he could think of doing to avoid harming him any further.
Death Glare: Ghirahimâs face is always pretty./qp
Demon Lord: I made a whole oneshot about this.
De-Terminator: Sure, but claiming that Ghirahim loves pain and violence again like that interpretation of his character is the only possible one.
Die Laughing: Forcefully converts him back into a sword does not begin to describe the absolute depravity of that moment.
Dissonant Serenity: He is trying to be calm. But thereâs only so much he can do as a permanently adolescent (he was meant to be physically the same age as Link, stated officially by Nintendo) who is stressed, sleep-deprived, and has centuries of trauma and abuse under his sash.
The Dragon: Not just that, a slave.
Dragon In Chief: Sigh. Ghirahim does not terrorize the surface world. He only attacks those who directly oppose him, and leaves everyone else well enough alone.
Drama Queen: He is, and people irl should do well to learn how to know and say how they feel as well as he does. Not that his coping mechanisms are one hundred percent healthy, of course not. But I still find the way that he is so in touch with his emotions to be admirable.
Dual Boss: Sadly, no. Ghirahim was reduced to nothing but a sword with no autonomy who is repeatedly struck by lightning. He isnât allowed to really help at all, which, I think, was a big part of Demiseâs downfall. Demise is a cakewalk on his own, but imagine if he allowed Ghirahim to fight by his side?
Dual Wielding: My guyâs got a lot of swords. Every one of them is cool.
Dub Name Change: His name is spelled Grahim in Spanish, which I would have said was smart, but my iPad keeps autocorrecting it to Graham.
Dub Personality Change: I find this to be really interesting. It makes me wonder how I would have interpreted him had I been Japanese. Knowing me and how big of a fangirl I am, Iâd probably still end up adoring him just as much.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: There you go, contradicting yourself again. You say that Ghirahim is a ruthless sadist, right? So, why is it that everyone before Link ran or hid, and not slain by him? Ghirahim can teleport and sense presences, not to mention create diamond barriers, and even without that, is just freaking fast! If he wanted to kill some random human, there would be no escaping for them.
Evil Counterpart: Yes, heâs the counterpart to Fi, i headcanon that they are siblings, moving on.
Evil Is Hammy: Yes, he is a ham and the antagonist.
Evil Overlord: Iâm starting to think that we need more nuance names for tropes related to antagonists.
Evil Tastes Good: Iâm not even going to bother with this one, since itâs clear the tropers have made up their minds about what Ghirahimâs actions mean. Never mind the fact he is not human and doesnât even have any reproductive organs to speak of, we find him sexy, so surely that can only mean that everything he does is sexual./s
Evil Weapon: Yes, this is the role he was made to play.
Expository Pronoun: This is actually interesting information that I appreciate learning.
Facial Markings: Yes, they call them markings and donât just assume itâs makeup! And he has bags under his eyes, a clear sign of sleep deprivation. And if youâve read my blog before, you already know where I think that scar-like marking in his between transformations came fromâŠ
False Reassurance; I already covered my opinion on this earlier.
Family Unfriendly Death: Good, they pointed this out, at least. Thank you TV Tropes for not always glossing over Ghirahimâs pain.
Fangs Are EviL: Okay, this is just petty. Small aside, I headcanon that he has fangs in his silver form too, like a kitten, but he never lets Link see them because they arenât very intimidating.
Fantasy Counterpart Religion: Yeah, I see the resemblance.
Fashionable Asymmetry: Yet another of Ghirahimâs delightful little quirks.
Fatal Flaw: Yes, and he admits it. Not something a narcissist would do.
Faux Affably Evil: I already explained my thoughts on this earlier.
Feels No Pain: No. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. This is completely false. Do people really not see it? Laughter isnât always a happy thing, and he has a unique hit animation that no other Zelda enemy has, for godâs sake! He clearly feels pain!
The Fighting narcissist: Oh for godâs sakeâŠ
Flaming Devil: Okay, yes, I see how this trope applies.
Flaying Alive: Yes, and I will say it again, it does hurt him! He screams the entire time while heâs fully transforming.
Flechette Storm: Yes, and itâs completely badass.
Foe Romance Subtext: Iâm fine with people interpreting it that way and I understand the thought process, but I personally do not. No judgment whatsoever to those who do, itâs just not how I choose to see it.
Foil: Yes, all that is true.
For Doom The Bell Toles: Okay, now this is starting to seem kind of funny. âGhirahim is evil! With his evil powers and evil music. He probably brushes his evil teeth with an evil toothbrush, spread with evil toothpaste. Did we mention that heâs evil?â
Glamour Failure: As his mental state deteriorates during the game, so too does his body. And itâs sad. He tries to make himself feel better about it by bragging about it, but I personally believe he prefers the silver form more. That is his real true form. He doesnât even feel heâs allowed to call himself a demon anymore, but what Demise wants from him: a weapon without mercy.
The Gloves Come Off: Yes, but I donât think he makes them disintegrate, he just puts them into his inventory.
Good Old Fisticuffs: Yes. Not much else to say.
Grayscale of Evil: Here we go againâŠ
Hammy Villain, Serious Hero: Link? Serious? Pfffffff!
Happy Dance: Yes, and it is adorable.
Hair Trigger Temper: Yeah, he can be very emotional at times. Thatâs what happens when you bottle things up and are never given the opportunity to learn how to express them in a healthy way. Not saying that the way he does express them is good; many things that he says to Link are incredibly messed up. But he does try to stay calm, with admittedly not a lot of success at times.
Heart Light: Yes, his gem is his heart and it glows. Itâs pretty.
The Heavy: Sure, not much else to say.
The Heroâs Journey: Yes, it does match the trope, and again, I think that it has to be admired to an extent. Donât agree with the wording of the return, but I think Iâve made my stance on that clear.
Hoist By His Own Petard: Again, I believe his hypocrisy of telegraphing attacks was very purposeful.
Hot Blooded: Yes.
Impaled With Extreme Prejudice: Yes. And itâs all hard for me to watch.
Impossibly Cool Clothes: Yes, they are cool. I bet theyâre extremely silky and soft to the touch, too.
Inferiority superiority Complex: Oh my god, they actually said it! They werenât very nice when they described it, but it makes me hopeful to see that the tropers arenât completely blind.
Itâs all About Me: Yes, I see how this trope applies, but holy crap are these descriptions biased.
Just Between You And Me: Yes, this is Ghirahim desperately confiding with Link because he literally has no one else he could talk to.
Justified Tutorial: Yes, Ghirahim teaches you how to fight him. Not Fi, Ghirahim is the one who says it. And you will have to yank my belief that this is significant out of my cold, dead hands.
Just Toying With Them: âŠ
Kick The dog: Okay, I get it. You donât like Ghirahim and insist on seeing every one of his actions in the worst light possible. I remember why I always steer clear of this article now.
Knight of Cerebus: Oh, come on. You mean to tell me you find him terrifying? Yeah, I get it heâs a demon and says some pretty extreme stuff at times, but come on! He has big, brown puppy dog eyes. Smh
Large Ham: Yes and I love him for it./qp
Last Second Chance: I didnât think I would have to write that Iâd covered something before this much. I understand they need to list all tropes that apply, but still.
Laughably Evil: Yes, Ghirahim is a dorky goofball and a theater kid through and through. (Iâm just going to ignore the bloodthirsty nature remark)
Laughing Mad: No, it is not safe to say that he wanted it to happen, not at all!
Left The Background Music On: I headcanon that Ghirahim plays piano and enjoys playing his themes a lot and just vibing to them.
Lean and Mean: Scrawny? Really? Okay, now youâre just being petty.
Leaning On The Fourth Wall: Yes, his text box at the end does resemble Fiâs and I think that was a very cool attention to detail there.
Leg Focus: Yeah, that happens.
Leitmotif: Yes, I understand his theme was meant to be sinister, but since Ghirahim is so near and dear to my heart, I mostly just hear the whimsical part whenever I listen to it.
Licking The Blade: went over this earlier.
Lightening Bruiser: There, you see? He is fast! He could have obliterated Link on the spot if he wanted to.
Living Weapon: Yeah, he is, with all the horror to go with it.
Loves The Sound Of Screaming: Sigh. If I recall, he describes the sound of screaming as "shrill." Shrill is not usually an adjectiveused to describe sounds that are pleasant to the listener.
Made Of Iron: Yeah, heâs metal, but I think itâs something a lot stronger and more durable than iron.
Make Wrong What Once Went Right: Yeah, and can we talk about what a power move this is? The fact that Demise literally met his namesake, but he didnât give up.
Magic Knight: Hell yeah!
Maniac Tongue: So many people treat the tongue thing as if it is the worst crime imaginable.
Mask of Sanity: Personally interpret it as a mask of INsanity, but you canât expect Ghirahim to be completely stable considering who his master is, and what heâs like. And thatâs just what happened in front of Link, I shudder to think of what Demise possibly could have done behind closed doorsâŠ
Master Swordsman: Yes, he is.
Mau The Demon King: Iâm not familiar with the trope, so I wonât comment.
Meaningful Name: This is interesting stuff.
Melee Disarming: He does, and itâs super cool.
Milking The Giant Cow: The name of this trope makes me snigger. And itâs true.
Mirror Character: Yes. (Not commenting on the description.)
Misanthrope Supreme: Okay, this trope is just plain wrong and is putting words into Ghirahimâs mouth again.
Monster Clown: Yeah, I see that.
Mood Swinger: Yeah, his emotions can be very volatile.
Motifs: He loves his diamonds.
Mouth of Sauron: Yeah, he is.
Mr. Fanservice: Yes heâs pretty, yes he wears form fitting clothing, but thatâs the only redeeming quality that many people see in him, and I find that really disheartening.
My Defense Need Not Protect Me Forever: He does technically win, but at what cost?
Narcissist: Going on about how beautiful and perfect you are does not automatically mean that you are a narcissist.
Nested Ownership: A sword that uses swords.
Nigh-Invulnerability: His dark form is tough, but ever notice that he no longer teleports or makes diamonds when heâs in it?
Not Worth Killing: Yet another moment where Ghirahim shows mercy, but TV Tropes is insistent on interpreting everything in the worst possible light.
Ominous Latin Chanting: Sadly, this trope is also not quite right. There are no words in the final boss theme, Latin or otherwise. Itâs just singing. I think he deserves some cool Latin lyrics, though.
Ominous Pipe Organ: played by a real organ too, as all of Skyward Sword was played by a live orchestra.
One-Handed Zweihander: I did not know that his big sword was called that. Cool fun fact.
One Winged Angel: Yeah, true.
Our Demons Are Different: In the best way.
Overly Long Tongue: For a human, maybe, but itâs perfectly ordinary for him.
Practically Joker: ⊠No.
Pre-Final Boss: Iâd argue that heâs the actual final boss since he poses a challenge, unlike pushover Demise.
Psycho Knife Nut: He has a lot of knives, yes.
Psycho Supporter: What can I even say that I havenât said already?
Rank Scales With Ass Kicking: Haha, no, Ghirahim is clearly the stronger and more competent one here.
Really Seven Hundred Years Old: Physically and mentally around the age of Link. Chronologically older.
Recurring Boss: Link fights him three times.
Red Baron: Sort of?
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Literally, with Fi. Also, my autocorrect kept trying to change Oni to onion. Ghirahim is an onion confirmed. He has layers.
Red Right Hand: I donât care if his ears were designed this way to make his hair easier to animate; itâs in the game, so itâs canon to me.
Ring-Out Boss: Link must knock him off the platforms, which he tells him how to do, by the way.
Sadist: For godâs sake! How many times do I have to⊠letâs just move on.
Disturbing Threats: that he never falls through on. Iâm not saying they are okay things to say, absolutely not. Iâm just saying that all factors have to be taken account for, which this page does not.
Scary Black Man: I donât think I have to explain this one for you to understand the problems with it.
Serrated Blade of Pain: Yes, itâs like that, but I donât think he had a say in what his sword form looks like.
Sissy Villain: If you didnât believe me before when I told you that TV Tropes likes to bully Ghirahim, maybe you do now?
Smug Snake: He has to be confident, his position demands it.
The Sociopath: False.
Spontaneous Weapon Creation: More like spontaneous weapon summoning, but itâs not his favorite kind of magic. Itâs clearly the diamonds! Do you people have eyes? Iâm blind, and even I understand that! (Yeah, Iâm done being polite)
Starter Villain Stays: We still didnât get enough time with him in my opinion, but I know if they tried to bring him back, the haters would riot.
Suave Sabre: Just going to ignore the part where you say subverted.
Suddenly Shouting: Yes Ghirahim, feel your feelings!
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: What are you saying? Ghirahimâs completely original and unique. Youâre just trying to pad out the tropes list with something that isnât mocking, arenât you? (I do see the resemblances.)
Tactical Suicide Boss: Ooh, did you just almost admit that Ghirie was being merciful?
Talking Weapon: Heâs a sword that can talk, like Fi.
Tennis Boss: Yeah, you can deflect his daggers, which is pretty badass.
That Makes Me Feel angry: Like I said before, Ghirahim can identify how he feels and express that. We need more of that in our society.
Throwing Your Sword always Works: Oh my god, they accidentally said that Link can pick it up instead of Ghirahim, that made me chuckle. Typo or Freudian slip?
To The Pain: But he never follows through.
Uncertain Doom: We donât know whether heâs dead or not, but Iâm thinking that he isnât since his sword form disappears and Demise looks surprised when it happens. Ghirahim does leave his abuser in the end. But itâs hard to say what happens to him after. (Iâm working on a fic about it.)
Undying Loyalty: Yes, but I feel that some of it is from abuse/Stockholm Syndrome. But imagine if you were the person who earned that loyalty? If thatâs the extent he goes for someone who is terrible to him, think of what he would do for someone who is genuinely kind to him? (Oh shut up TV Tropes, itâs not his only positive trait.)
Unskilled, But Strong: The slander! Hereâs an idea, what if heâs doing it on purpose? Like he could be deadly fast and not telegraph his attacks, but he doesnât because heâs more focused on putting on a show and playing the villain, and actually giving Link a fair fight.
Variable Mix: The drums start when he draws his sword. Itâs a cool detail.
Villain Teleportation: You heard it here, folks. If someone on the opposing side has any sort of power, regardless of what that power is, itâs automatically evil./s But at least they have the decency to admit that itâs cool.
Villainous Breakdown: Yeah, because narcissists totally let one loss shake them and can admit their faults. Seems totally legit./s
Wake-Up Call Boss: Yes, and itâs awesome.
Weapon Grip Failure: He chooses to leave not because he loses his sword, but because he senses that Zelda is no longer there. And come to think of it, why would she linger right behind the door that long when she must have known Ghirahim and link were there; Ghirahim was not trying to be quiet or subtle at the time. Her Manipulation of the both of them was really obvious since the beginning, and the sad thing is, it worked. She nudged Ghirahim into acting as the worst version of himself, and it worked so well that even out of universe, so many people hate him.
We Have Reserves: I talked about this earlier.
What The Hell Are You?: Yes, and itâs a pretty cool moment. Probably where the idea that Ghirahim is racist comes from, though.
White and Red and Eerie All Over: If you say so. I think heâs pretty./qp
White Hair, Black Heart: His heart is red, actually.
Why Wonât You Die?: Thatâs what I ask myself about the massive amounts of Ghirahim hate.
Would Hit A Girl: Say what you want about Ghirahim, but he isnât sexist. Positive discrimination is still discrimination. Iâm not saying that what he did to Impa and Zelda was okay, but still.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Oh, for fuckâs sake! How many times do I have to say that just because he laughs, that does not mean he was fine with it! Ghirahim is not the one who truly has no emotional awareness here.
Your Princess Is In Another Castle: Not much to say, except this is the last one, thank God.
Iâm a little embarrassed about the amount of time I spent on this. Hopefully, you all got something out of it, if only the introduction of another idea. If you took the time to read this entire thing, I truly appreciate it. May your hearts be positively filled with rainbows!
