Twilight Princess Do You Think Zant Was a Good Villain?

[NotOfThisWorld]

I honestly was creeped out by Zant when he first appeared. And thought, boy he's going to be an interesting boss battle. But then when it came to actually do the Shadow Temple and fight him, I found him too easy for a boss. That dragon head thing gave me more trouble to beat than Zant....even Gannon for that matter. However, the boss battles with Gannon were so epic and so cool!

 

[Sydney]

I thought Zant was an OK villain. He most certainly was not the best. If anything I preferred Ganondorf over him.

 

[nareky]

He was kinda creepy but there wasnt ( i felt) enough focus on him

 

[Dan]

I'm not too sure on Zant. I think he was COOL.
If only there was a good member that could help my thoughts. One that could write a 4 figure post. *Sigh* one can dream*

 

[Dio]

He was pretty good. He was cool at first, then he went crazy. But it makes sense for Ganondorf to manipulate someone who has an unstable personality, since they are likely to be easier to control.

 

[cams]

Same opinion as most of the people here. I liked his very cool and calm personality during the entire game and I was looking forward to the boss fight with him, but the suddenly crazy, weird boss battle disappointed me.

 

[Fig]

I really thought that Zant was an awesome boss to begin with. I was under the influence that he was one of those bosses that would always keep his cool despite if he was losing or not. But that battle, that changed everything. When I first battle against him, I just knew that I wanted the battle to keep on going, never wanting to end it. I loved his crazy personality and battle style. I really hope that Nintendo makes another boss that is similar to Zant in his battle style. Isn't there a way to replay boss battles again? :xd:

 

[Arkatox]

He was pretty awesome until it's revealed how... mentally unstable he is.

 

[Terminus]

He would have been a lot scarier if he'd kept his calm, cruel demeanor.

 

[hylianordonlink]

I thought he was a great villain until his personality was completely ruined at the end of the game. He was so cool, so calm, so collected at first, and it made him a total badass. Then they gave him a plight, and it gave him some character development. But, instead of having him go back to how we remembered him before like with WW Ganny, they turned him into a total lunatic that barely posed a threat. He was such a great villain at first that I can't bring myself to call him bad, but he was definitely stripped of his superb status.

He went insane after you beat him once then he goes into insane phases.

 

[Spirit]

I'll just wash over this and say i loved Zant and even in girahim's wake, Zant still holds a very unique place in the Zelda franchise.

I know everyone has a problem with him going insane later on in the game but i can honestly say that this didn't bother or even surprise me, in fact i expected it.

Zant looks surreal, his costume, his helmet and the proportions of his body. Every time we see him we get a high pitched squeal from nowhere, yet during the cutscene following the Lakebed temple he has a deep sneering growl.. i assumed him to be making both of these noises and so his persona instantly felt cracked.

Zant also is seemingly very calm and collected throughout the game until the Twilight Palace, this again gave me reason to be wary of his mental state. He holds himself too still, he is too collected, he barely moves, even when he is attacking Midna. This just made me think that he was holding back, he seemed dangerous when he wasn't moving, and so i imagined him being even more dangerous should her begin to move. This notion came to be true when, in the Twilight Palace, he begins twisting his body, teleporting back and forth around the room which heralds his big battle against Link, which is a more impressive display of power compared to his earlier unmoving assault on Midna.

Again, from a cinematic point of view, the way Zant is framed and juxtaposed in shots within his scenes are also very unnatural. for example; during Zant's attack on Hyrule castle we first see him in numerous wide angle full body shots where we see him from a distance, but then the next shot is a very close framed close up of him, this isn't unheard of but it is rare (and not wholly used unless there is reason), as well as this, the shot is also canted giving a very unnatural sense of things, again coupled with the scream that accompanies his presence, Zant feels like one of the most surreal characters in Zelda's history. Surreal in the sense that he has and unnatural air about him and is far too collected, far too mysterious...

Perhaps i read too much into Twilight Princess as a whole but i do think its plot, narrative and characters are unfairly citicised for 'bad development and writing'. Midna also falls victim to the Zant effect, where people seem to perceive a change in Midna's personality as soon as she has adopted her true form, i also don't feel that this is true, much like i dont agree that Zant's insanity comes completely out of nowhere, i could go into much more detail but perhaps Zant is in need of a starring role within an article.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

i was pretty intimitdated by zant
i thought he was serious villain that meant business,no playing around or suffer the consequences
then of course he turned into a complete joke.....marajuana these days -.-

but id prefer him over the demon lord anyday

 

[A Link In Time]

When I first battle against him, I just knew that I wanted the battle to keep on going, never wanting to end it. I loved his crazy personality and battle style. I really hope that Nintendo makes another boss that is similar to Zant in his battle style.

The multiple battle environments idea certainly was a new and intriguing step forward for the franchise. Zant appeared to be an omnipresent force throughout the entirety of Twilight Princess and it was only fitting that he was fought in nearly every previous boss locale at game's end.

Zant also is seemingly very calm and collected throughout the game until the Twilight Palace, this again gave me reason to be wary of his mental state. He holds himself too still, he is too collected, he barely moves, even when he is attacking Midna. This just made me think that he was holding back, he seemed dangerous when he wasn't moving, and so i imagined him being even more dangerous should her begin to move. This notion came to be true when, in the Twilight Palace, he begins twisting his body, teleporting back and forth around the room which heralds his big battle against Link, which is a more impressive display of power compared to his earlier unmoving assault on Midna.

Excellent analogy, Spirit. Often those who appears most composed are quickest to fall into deep anger or depression. Zant was a villain who masked his emotions throughout almost the entirety of Twilight Princess. It's no wonder that such popular backlash resulted from his sudden change of demeanor in the Twilight Palace. But perhaps there was indeed greater significance in this and I'd like to relate this to the recent neck breaking thread. It appears as though Zant snaps his neck during the end credits of Twilight Princess. This can be interpreted as either Ganondorf losing the power he gained from the Twilight Realm or Zant betraying his former master and dealing the final blow with his spirit. While this remains speculation, such theories further enhance Zant's role as a dynamic villain and defend his true lunatic state.

Again, from a cinematic point of view, the way Zant is framed and juxtaposed in shots within his scenes are also very unnatural. for example; during Zant's attack on Hyrule castle we first see him in numerous wide angle full body shots where we see him from a distance, but then the next shot is a very close framed close up of him, this isn't unheard of but it is rare (and not wholly used unless there is reason), as well as this, the shot is also canted giving a very unnatural sense of things, again coupled with the scream that accompanies his presence, Zant feels like one of the most surreal characters in Zelda's history. Surreal in the sense that he has and unnatural air about him and is far too collected, far too mysterious...

For all the slack fans do't offer Zant, his aesthetic design was marvelous and an allegory for what Twilight Princess means. The attack of the Twili occurred out of nowhere. One day he was a regular farm boy from Ordon and the next transformed into a Wolf with a strange imp by his side. Zant's role in the opening moments of the game complements the atmosphere of mysteriousness. Who is he? What does he want? Why are some Twili evil and others not? His own self-proclaimed title of "Usurper King" also shapes his persona greatly. Zant is an illegitimate ruler who stole the reigns of a kingdom from its true heir, the Twilight Princess-Midna. He was so delusional regarding Hyrule and the royal family and the supposed tragedies they committed in his past that he was blinded by the fact that he was causing destruction. Whereas Midna grew in love and friendship, Zant fostered darkness and hatred. His own demise reflected the uncertainty that plagued his life.

 

[oracleofcanada]

i'm going to say the first time i fought Zant he actually scared me half to death because he was insane... a loose cannon if you will and that sword attack where he just swings them at you is terrifying.

 

[Schizo]

I thought he was a really cool villain until the temper tantrum he started throwing. I went from "Oh, man, what crazy stuff is this guy gonna do next?" to "Oh... um... it's ok, buddy? Here, I'll put my sword down and let you kill me. Will that make you feel better?"