Small Shield
Small Shields,(TMC | CoH)[1][2] also known as Fighter's Shields,(ALttP)[1] are recurring Items in The Legend of Zelda series.[name references needed]
Overview
A Link to the Past
ShieldThere are three levels of shield power, each with a greater defensive value.
In A Link to the Past, the Fighter's Shield is a small family shield that belongs to Link's Uncle, and is received from him in the secret passageway leading into Hyrule Castle grounds. As it is the first shield obtained in the game, it is the weakest of all shields and provides very little defense. It is able to protect against arrows, spears and rocks, but little else. The shield can be eaten by enemies, and if the shield is swallowed up by a Pikit or a Like Like, another one can be purchased in the many shops throughout the Dark World.
Link can obtain an upgraded version of the Fighter's Shield known as the Red Shield by throwing it into the Mysterious Pond of the Waterfall of Wishing. Only by answering the Great Fairy's question honestly will she reward him with a better shield.[3]
The Minish Cap
ShieldBlocks (and sometimes reflects) P11 enemy attacks. Some enemies can’t be defeated without a shield, but it’s also just a good idea to know when to defend yourself.
The Small Shield is given to Link by Princess Zelda in Hyrule Town during the Picori Festival.[4] Shortly after receiving it, he must use it to protect Zelda from a Business Scrub north of Hyrule Town.[5]
Like most basic shields obtained throughout The Legend of Zelda series, the Small Shield can be swallowed by Like Likes. If this happens, Link can defeat the Like Like to retrieve the Small Shield, or buy a new one at Stockwell's Shop. The Small Shield can defend Link from the most basic of attacks, such as an Octorok's rocks and sword strikes from other enemies. After Link completes the main quest, he can turn the Small Shield into the Mirror Shield by allowing Biggoron to eat it.[6][7]
Other Appearances
A Link to the Past (Ishinomori)
In the A Link to the Past comic by Shotaro Ishinomori, Link's uncle is seen using the Fighter's Shield during his duel against Agahnim. However, after Link witnesses the defeat of his uncle at the hands of his wizard, he rushes to his side and obtains his uncle's sword and shield from him before passing out. Link continues to use the shield only for the first chapter, using it to defend himself from enemy attacks. However, when he reaches the Sanctuary with Princess Zelda and faces off against Agahnim, he loses his sword and shield along with it, and the young hero is never seen using the Fighter's Shield for the rest of the comic.
Ancient Stone Tablets
Cadence of Hyrule
The Small Shield can be used to reflect Rocks fired by Octoroks and the projectiles fired by Deku Scrubs back to their source.
Trivia
- Screenshots from versions of the game prior to release seen in promotional material for the game show the Fighter's Shield with brown coloring, rather than blue.[citation needed] This possibly explains why some official art depicts it as brown, while others depict it as blue.
- The Fighter's Shield is the first shield to have a bird-like design on it in the series, and many aspects of its design were used for the Hylian Shield.
- The Great Fairy granting Link a better shield when he answers honestly is an homage to the Aesop fable, The Honest Woodcutter. In the story, a man accidentally flings his axe into a lake and begins to weep, having lost his only means of livelihood. The god Hermes decides to take pity on the woodcutter and emerges from the lake holding a golden axe, asking the man if it is his. The man truthfully denies, and Hermes produces a silver axe asking the same. Once again, the man answers honestly saying that he had lost a wooden axe. For his display of honesty, Hermes gives him all three axes. Later, a man overhearing this story decides to fling his own axe into the lake and falsely cry about his loss. Hermes again appears offering to the man a golden axe, which he greedily claims. Disgusted by this man's avarice, Hermes gives him nothing and leaves his axe at the bottom of the lake as punishment.
Trivia
- The Small Shield in The Minish Cap has the same design as the Hero's Shield from The Wind Waker.
- The Hero of Men is depicted as wielding a Shield nearly identical in appearance to the Small Shield used by Link in The Minish Cap.
Nomenclature
 Names in Other Regions  | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Names | Meanings |
 Japanese | 小さな盾 (Chīsana tate) (TMC)[10] | |
 ChineseSI | 盾 (Dùn) (CoH)[15] | Shield |
 FrenchEU | Petit Bouclier (TMC)[13] | Same as English. |
 German |
|
|
 Italian | Scudo piccolo (TMC | CoH)[8][9] | Same as English. |
 SpanishEU | Escudo pequeño (TMC)[14] | Same as English. |
| This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference. | ||
Gallery
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The Fighter's Shield on the equipment subscreen from A Link to the Past
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Link armed with the Fighter's Shield in official artwork from A Link to the Past
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Link armed with the Fighter's Shield in official artwork from A Link to the Past & Four Swords
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Link using the Fighter's Shield from A Link to the Past
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Link with the Small Shield from The Minish Cap
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The Small Shield from Cadence of Hyrule
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 139 (ALttP | TMC)
- ↑ "Small Shield
Blocks damage when you hold it up, at the cost of stamina." — Inventory (Cadence of Hyrule) - ↑ "Hello there. Did you drop this? I like an honest person. I will give you something better in return." — Great Fairy (A Link to the Past)
- ↑ "Here! I want to give you a present! Doesn't this shield suit you perfectly, Link?" — Princess Zelda (The Minish Cap)
- ↑ "Owwwwch! That must be the Business Scrub I heard the soldiers talking about. They were saying a Deku Scrub had been hassling all the passersby. Link, do something about it! Otherwise, we can't get to the castle. If only we had some way to defend ourselves against those nuts of his." — Princess Zelda (The Minish Cap)
- ↑ "Welcome. Goro. Oh, what a tiny Goron you are... You make this big Goron happy with this unexpected visit to my distant home. Tell me, little one, what do you know about shields? Well, among us Gorons, who know well the taste of steel... They are considered a fine delicacy. Ah, yes... Just once, I should like to taste a fine, fresh shield..." — Biggoron (The Minish Cap)
- ↑ "Nummnumm! Slurp, slurp! Oh, delicious! That was excellent! Thank you so much. Now, I finally know the legendary taste of a shield! And I will happily fulfill my promise! Let me just spit your shield back out again! Goro goro...?! It-It seems your shield has changed shape a little as I was chewing on it... Oh, but it's fine! It is still a shield after all, just a slightly differently shaped one! I think... Well, I have to go now! Good-bye, goro!" — Biggoron (The Minish Cap)
- ↑ "Prendo lo Scudo piccolo." — Princess Zelda (The Minish Cap, Italian localization)
- ↑ "Scudo piccolo" — Inventory (Cadence of Hyrule, Italian localization)
- ↑ "ゼルダ姫から 小さな盾を もらった！" — N/A (The Minish Cap, Japanese localization)
- ↑ "Kleiner Schild" — Items Screen (The Minish Cap, German localization)
- ↑ "Du hast von Zelda einen kleinen Schild erhalten!" — N/A (The Minish Cap, German localization)
- ↑ "Petit Bouclier" — Items Screen (The Minish Cap, European French localization)
- ↑ "¡Zelda te ha regalado un escudo pequeño!" — N/A (The Minish Cap, European Spanish localization)
- ↑ "获得了盾！只限和使用。按
使用。" — N/A (Cadence of Hyrule, Simplified Chinese localization)
