As I’m sure you know by now, Koei Tecmo has made a habit of releasing trailers showcasing the abilities of the various characters who will be making up the cast of their Legend of Zelda­-inspired hack ‘n’ slash title, Hyrule Warriors. The newest of these is the evil Ghirahim, who made his fame as Link’s rival in Skyward Sword. Ghirahim, along with the villains Ganondorf and Zant, was confirmed to be playable during the Hyrule Warriors Nintendo Direct back on August 4. Check out the freaky swordsman in action below:

While Ghirahim’s official weapon is the Demon Blade, it actually takes a backseat to the various magic attacks which seem to make up the meat of his damage output. The sword attacks themselves look pretty slow, but Ghirahim’s strength seems to come from the ability to constantly send out his throwing dagger-like magic to stave off enemy forces, as well as trap them in powerful area-of-effect magic that tears apart those inside. He also uses his Armored Form from Skyward Sword to great effect. While in this mode, Ghirahim’s power and speed both seem to increase greatly, making him even more dangerous for the limited time that he holds this form. Though, I am slightly confused as to why he is terrorizing squads of Bokoblins rather than the human or Goron forces shown in previous trailers.

With every trailer, excitement for this mashup of Zelda and Dynasty Warriors only builds. Hyrule Warriors is due out on September 26 in the North America, and September 19 in Europe.

Hyrule Warriors is available for pre-order on Amazon: