Credit: Nintendo

In the final trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom that was shown this week, we finally received confirmation of an element of the game’s story that many of us had suspected ever since its initial reveal: the main villain of the game is the original King of Evil, Ganondorf, reincarnated once again. Perhaps an even bigger reveal, however, was that this would be the first time Ganondorf would be fully voiced in a Zelda game beyond assorted grunts and chuckles. Those are some big shoes to fill, so who did Nintendo get to voice Ganondorf in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom?

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Ganondorf Voice Actor Revealed

Luckily, this is one mystery that didn’t remain mysterious for very long. Not long after the trailer premiered on Thursday, Ganondorf’s voice actor confirmed his participation in the project: the first full voice for the King of Evil is none other than Matthew Mercer.

Mercer announced his role on his personal Twitter, writing “I just got the go-ahead from Nintendo, so I can FINALLY announce my absolute pleasure to be voicing Ganondorf in the Legend of #Zelda : #TearsoftheKingdom.” He added that the role is  “An immense honor that I have thrown myself into doing justice.”

Who is Matthew Mercer?

Credit: Nintendo

If you don’t know Mercer by his name, you undoubtedly know him by his voice. Mercer is a voice acting industry veteran, having lent his talents to English dubs for anime, cartoons, and of course, video games as far back as the 1990s. Odds are good that you’ve heard at least one of his over 400 roles, be it as a main character or in background dialogue.

Some highlights from Mercer’s game voice career include:

• Kanji Tatsumi (Persona 4 Golden)
• Leon S. Kennedy (Resident Evil 6)
• Zato-1 (Guilty Gear Xrd and Strive)
• Fei Long (Street Fighter IV)
• Chrom (Fire Emblem: Awakening)
• Robin (Batman: Arkham Knight)
• MacCready (Fallout 4)
• Cassidy (Overwatch)
• Goro Majima (Yakuza: Like a Dragon)

While this won’t be the first time Mercer has played a villain, Ganondorf is definitely one of the biggest names in villainy out there. As Mercer said himself, it’s a major role, but given his wide breadth of experience and skill, we have no doubt he’ll pull it off with aplomb.

You can look forward to hearing Mercer as Ganondorf when The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom releases for Nintendo Switch on May 12, 2023.