Bow

The Bow is one of a handful of items that have been around since the original The Legend of Zelda. Bows often go unnamed throughout the Zelda series, however, the most common named bow, the Hero's Bow, appears in Majora's Mask, The Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess, while the Fairy Bow is used in Ocarina of Time.

Using arrows as ammunition, the bow can be used to attack enemies, hit switches, and on occasion, cause special events to take place. In many of the games, Link starts with the ability to carry a limited number of arrows which can be expanded as the game progresses through the upgrading of his quiver, the arrow-holding satchel that has become a staple of the Zelda series. Many games also feature magic-infused types of arrows. For example, the Light Arrow, Ice Arrow and the Fire Arrow are the common types, all of which can be shot from the bow in the same vein as a normal arrow. However, the Bow will not function without a constant supply of arrows, replenishable items that are, thankfully, found quite abundantly about the overworlds and dungeons of all the games that incorporate the Bow. For the most part, like many other pivotal plot items, the Bow is found exclusively as a dungeon's main treasure towards the beginning of the game in order for Link to exploit its many uses in the majority of puzzles and dungeons he must face during the latter part of his quest.

Function
All bows operate with arrows as accurate projectile shooters, more so than less intrepid weapons like the Slingshot for example, however, most games incorporate several other traits that are unique to their game in form, function, and capability outside of the Bow's commonplace usage.

Arrow Charging
Unique to Four Swords, The Minish Cap, and Spirit Tracks is the bow's ability to charge an arrow into a more powerful form, although in the majority of instances, the arrow in question is undoubtedly the Light Arrow, one that needs to be powered up anyway to retain the power to vanquish evil. Physically, the player must press and hold the button to which the bow is equipped in order to charge up the shot. In The Minish Cap, before one can charge the bow, the Light Arrow must be obtained, or the bow will only continue to shoot standard arrows. However, in Four Swords Adventures, an entirely upgraded bow (Level 2) is required to obtain the charged shot, of which is obtained at any Fairy Fountain in the region, similar to Spirit Tracks, where a new bow, the Bow of Light, must be found to shoot upgraded arrows.

On Horseback
In paying homage to the horseback archers of the Middle Ages, several games in the series such as Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Twilight Princess enable Link to use his bow while galloping along on Epona. Not only must Link multi-task, but often he is bombarded with enemy fire during his rampage, in Twilight Princess especially, since enemies such as Bulblins and Kargaroks are not shy about approaching and attacking Link while he is riding around on Hyrule Field, or even during his transport of Prince Ralis to Kakariko Village. This mode of archery is also incorporated into sidequests, namely the target practice at the Gerudo Archery Range in Ocarina of Time.

DS Usage
The bow is used a bit differently in the DS Zelda installments, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, as the stylus and the touch screen are dominantly used during all aspects of gameplay. Unlike the manual aiming and shooting of the bow as seen in the console titles, the bow is shot simply by tapping the touch screen with the stylus in the necessary direction of an object, or at the object itself. A line may also be drawn from Link to the object; even if the line does not reach the object in question, Link's vision range will increase, revealing objects previously concealed by the borders of the normal game screen.

Upgrading the Bow
In The Legend of Zelda and A Link to the Past, upon obtaining the Silver Arrow, the bow will consistently shoot arrows with the power to repel evil from that point on. The same applies to The Minish Cap, but in concern to the Light Arrow which must be equipped to the bow before firing.

Four Swords Adventures highlights a new, arcade-like way of upgrading the bow into a much stronger version: Link must present his weapon to a Great Fairy at her Fountain, and she will bring the Bow to "Level 2" - a stage at which it not only gains the power to charge arrows, but also can shoot an array of three arrows at a time, instead of the standard one. Along with this, the bow in general has an unlimited amount of arrows, an upgrade in itself over the other Zelda titles. All of the weapons in Four Swords Adventures are capable of upgrading via Fairy Fountain to their "Level 2" forms, except for Link's sword.

Arrows and Special Varieties
Arrows are the most important aspect of the bow, considering they are the projectiles needed for it to function properly. Unlike the bow, which must be equipped to use, arrows are automatically drawn whenever the bow is used. However, in many titles, such as Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess, different arrow varieties like the Fire Arrow and the Bomb Arrow must be equipped in order to use them, not to mention the different arrow types require varying increments of magic power in order to use them, but only in the games like Majora's Mask and The Windwaker that actually incorporate magic into the game play.

While in other titles Link must individually equip the Ice Arrow or the Light Arrow before the bow itself, The Windwaker implements such arrow varieties right into the bow itself as modes, so that Link can easily switch between any of them (by use of the R button), without going into some sort of subscreen to switch out arrow types in the situation that requires them.

Super Smash Bros. Melee
The Hero's Bow from Ocarina of Time appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Strangely enough, both Link and Young Link use it, even though Young Link cannot in Ocarina of Time and even has his own version in Majora's Mask.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
The Hero's Bow of Twilight Princess appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, replacing the Fairy Bow from Ocarina of Time that Link used in Super Smash Bros. Melee. The arrows of this bow fly much faster and farther than those in Melee, able to easily clear the wide Bridge of Eldin stage

Trivia

 * Given the name "Hero's Bow", it may well be the same bow throughout many of the games, or at least inspired by the original bow.
 * In The Legend of Zelda, rather than employing a limited number of arrows, one rupee is lost every time an arrow is fired.
 * The bow from Link's Awakening is extremely expensive as it costs 980 Rupees, thus making this one of the most expensive items for purchase in the whole Zelda series.
 * It is implied by Dangoro that the Hero's Bow of Twilight Princess is the one and same bow once wielded by the Hero of Time, which he himself acquired in the land of Termina while exploring the Woodfall Temple on his quest to defeat the evil demon Majora in Majora's Mask.
 * In Soulcalibur II, Link releases a shot from his bow as a Special Attack.