Hero's Bow
| Hero's Bow | |
|---|---|
 Link preparing to fire an arrow alongside Pit in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U | |
| Users | Link Young Link Toon Link |
| Universe | The Legend of Zelda |
| Article on Zelda Wiki | Bow |
| “ | Hold File:GCN BButton.png then release for swift, long-range arrow attacks. | ” |
| —Melee's instruction manual | ||
| “ | Charge by holding down the B Button before firing. | ” |
| —Brawl's instruction manual | ||
The Hero's Bow (勇者の弓 Yūsha no Yumi) is Link's, Toon Link's, and to an extent, Young Link's neutral special move in all the Smash Bros. games that they appear in, excluding Link's in Super Smash Bros., where it is the Boomerang instead. There are differences with each Link's Hero Bow, though they all involve firing an arrow which is useful for stopping foes or camping, and holding the special button will greatly increase the range of the arrow fired.
Hero's Bow
Hero's Bow (Bow in Melee) is Link's and Toon Link's neutral special move in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. As pointed out by Sakurai, it is faster than its Melee counterpart. Even when the attack isn't charged up, the arrows fly farther than in Melee. Toon Link's arrows shoot at a very slight upwards angle and are noticeably "floatier" than Link's; it is slightly slower traveling through the air than Link's arrows.
Link can still hold the arrow in place when it's fully charged. A fully charged arrow is strong enough to KO a character in Sudden Death. A fully charged arrow also has great range, useful for stopping approaches.
Link can turn around in mid air, if the backwards direction is pressed right after the bow is taken out. However, if combined with the Quickdraw technique, a glitch may occur in which Link points his bow in one direction, but the arrow is fired in the other direction. This can be avoided if the bow is initiated in the air just before Link touches the ground, instead of the same instant Link touches the ground. This move is notable for being used in the Quickdraw technique.
Fire Bow
Fire Bow is a variation of the Hero's Bow, and it is Young Link's neutral special move in Melee. With this version, Young Link shoots flaming arrows that do not travel as far as Link's and do slightly less damage. However, it has more hitstun than the other bows, and sets the foe on fire.
Kirby's use of the attack (after copying Young Link) is similar to a Copy Ability (specifically, Burning/Needle) in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, where Kirby turns into a bow and can shoot flaming arrows. In Melee, he uses Young Link's Bow.
Origin
The bow is one of Link's main weapons in The Legend of Zelda series. In Ocarina of Time, Link could use fire arrows, as well as ice and Light Arrows. In Melee, Link and Young Link's bow are based on the Fairy Bow from Ocarina of Time appearance; this is odd, as Young Link could not use the Fairy Bow or fire arrows in Ocarina of Time, but could use the Hero's Bow and fire arrows in Majora's Mask. In Brawl, Link's Hero's Bow is derived from Twilight Princess, while Toon Link's is from The Wind Waker.
Gallery
Artwork of Link aiming the Fairy Bow from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Animation of Link's bow in Melee.
Toon Link's version of the Hero's Bow.
Link's bow in Brawl.
