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 | ||
| “ | Fire an arrow that gains strength if charged. | ” |
| —Smash for 3DS's foldout (Link) | ||
| “ | Shoot arrows. Can be charged with  .
|
” |
| —Smash for 3DS's foldout (Toon Link) | ||
The Hero's Bow (勇者の弓, Hero's Bow) is Link's, Toon Link's, and to an extent, Young Link's, neutral special move in all the Super 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 and Super Smash Bros. 4. 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.
Customization
Special Move customization was added in Super Smash Bros. 4. These are the variations:
Link
| 1. Hero's Bow | 2. Power Bow | 3. Quickfire Bow |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
| "Fires an arrow. The longer you hold the button, the stronger the shot." | "Shorter-range arrows, but if you draw the bow fully, they'll deal a hefty blow." | "Rapid-fire arrows that can pass through enemies to hit others." |
- Hero's Bow: Default.
- Power Bow: Greatly increases charge time and makes uncharged arrows do extremely low damage and drop right near Link's feet; a charged arrow however travels in a straight line, glows, and deals massive damage and knockback, to the point where it can KO at medium high percentages, giving Link a ranged KO option.
- Quickfire Bow: Arrows charge almost immediately, deal magic damage and can go straight through multiple targets, though they forsake damage and range, traveling a short distance before disappearing while doing set knockback. 2% uncharged, 8% fully charged.
Power Bow in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
Quickfire Bow in for 3DS
Toon Link
| 1. Hero's Bow | 2. Fire Bow | 3. Piercing Bow |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
| "Fire an arrow with your bow. Charge it up for more power and range." | "Sets fire to the ground where the arrow lands, but the range is reduced." | "Fires a piercing bow at high speed. Does less damage than normal arrows." |
- Hero's Bow: Default.
- Fire Bow (known as Fire Arrow in the PAL version): Charges almost immediately. Shoots flaming arrows that deal extremely low damage on hit and travel only three character lengths when fully charged, but will stay in the ground and continue to burn for about two seconds, allowing Toon Link to use the flames as a pseudo-PK Fire. 2% damage minimum charged, 7% maximum, 6% damage when an enemy touches it on the ground.
- Piercing Bow: Arrows fly straight and go through enemies and projectiles, at cost of distance and damage. 6% damage fully charged, 1% uncharged.
Toon Link using his version of the Fire Bow.
Toon Link using the Piercing Arrow.
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.
Fire Bow returns in SSB4 as an alternate neutral special move for Toon Link. The arrow now releases a small toon-like burst of fire when hitting a wall or floor, resembling their appearance in The Wind Waker, and the embers linger for a second, burning foes who wander into them.
Origin
The bow is one of Link's main weapons in The Legend of Zelda series. In The Legend of Zelda: 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 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time; 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 The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. In Brawl and SSB4, Link's Hero's Bow is derived from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess while Toon Link's is from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. The Quickfire Bow is a reference to the Light Arrows, as well as the bow having a quicker firing rate in the Zelda series than in Smash Bros..
Gallery
Artwork of Link aiming the Fairy Bow from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Animation of Link's bow in Melee.
Link's bow in Brawl.
Toon Link's version of the Hero's Bow.
Toon Link using Hero's Bow in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
Toon Link using Hero's Bow in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
