Dead Man's Volley[1][note 1] refers to a technique in certain Boss battles within The Legend of Zelda series where Link swings his Sword at an oncoming projectile, turning it back on its caster to inflict damage or cause a Critical Point. In many games, the boss will return Link's volley, making the battle resemble that of a tennis game as often called by fans. A rhythmic rally ensues where the projectile is knocked back and forth until one party fails to counter and is struck by it. Dead Man's Volley is typically used against primary antagonists or their clones. This technique made its first appearance in A Link to the Past.
Bosses to be defeated by Dead Man's Volley may have other projectile attacks that require special tactics to volley, or that cannot be volleyed at all and must be dodged. Usually, the volleying attack is a single flashing ball of energy. In games where Link rallies back and forth with the boss, these rallies tend to become longer as the battle progresses. These can be shortened by standing closer to the boss, giving them less time to react.
Humorously, Link can perform a volley with seemingly powerless items like a Bug Net, Empty Bottle, or Shovel in some games.
Mainline appearances[]
A Link to the Past[]
The Dead Man's Volley technique first appears in A Link to the Past, during the two battles against Agahnim, who is too powerful to be harmed by anything but his own magic, not even the Master Sword.[2] Agahnim has multiple magical attacks, one of which is a flashing white ball of energy that can be volleyed back at him to cause damage. His second attack is a blue cluster projectile that splinters when struck – it must be avoided. A third attack involves the wizard firing powerful lightning blasts at Link. If the hero is hit by the attacks, he loses one Heart in damage regardless of whatever Mail he is wearing.
In the second and final encounter with Agahnim, he produces two clones which can only perform the one attack that can be volleyed. Link can volley a clone's attack at the real Agahnim, but the clones themselves cannot be harmed. With careful timing by the young hero, Link can deflect the clone's attack onto Agahnim along with his own, quickly causing damage.
If timed correctly, the volley can also be performed with a swish of the Bug Catching Net.
Link's Awakening[]
In Link's Awakening, Agahnim's Shadow, the second form of the Final Boss, Shadow Nightmare, is defeated with Dead Man's Volley the same way as the real Agahnim in the previous installment. It has two attacks: the energy-ball attack to be volleyed, and the splintering cluster to be dodged.
The energy ball can be volleyed with the Shovel; and in the Switch remake, Link can also use an empty Fairy Bottle to deflect Agahnim's blasts.
Ocarina of Time[]
Dead Man's Volley against Phantom Ganon in Ocarina of Time
Ocarina of Time introduces back-and-forth rallies to Dead Man's Volley in the series. It occurs in the second phase of the boss battle against Phantom Ganon in the Forest Temple when he casts yellow energy orbs at Link, which turn blue during the volley. The energy attack then changes color from yellow to blue as it is volleyed back and forth (yellow when cast, blue when returned by Link, yellow when returned by Phantom Ganon, etc.). If Phantom Ganon is struck by the volley, it will stun him and allows Link to strike the boss with his sword.
Ganondorf preparing the Dead Man's Volley in Ocarina of Time
Ganondorf during the final battle performs the same attack as his phantom for his standard move, but is much more powerful, inflicting three Hearts of damage rather than one if it were to strike Link. As with Phantom Ganon, if Ganondorf is hit by his own volley attack, he will briefly become stunned and a Light Arrow is required to make him lose his defenses where Link can attack the Gerudo warlock with his sword. The Evil King, with the might of the Triforce of Power, also has a second special attack where he launches multiple extremely powerful energy projectiles at Link, which, if the Hero of Time were to be hit by any of them, he will suffer major damage and lose a staggering five Heart Containers (or two and a half with the defensive upgrade by the Great Fairy of Courage) - even greater in strength than the Iron Knuckles' ax swings or his beast form's mighty sword swipes. Therefore, this technique by Ganondorf is especially dangerous in Ocarina of Time 3D's Master Quest where as many as 10 Hearts will be taken. An ordinary sword swipe is not sufficient to fend off the deadly attack as it deflects some but not all of the projectiles. A well-timed Magic Spin Attack volleys all the projectiles back at Ganondorf, stunning him immediately. However, because it takes quite a bit of time for Ganondorf to executive this particular attack and his guard being completely dropped, Link can freely fire a Light Arrow to instantly stun him for sword blows. Anytime Link gets near Ganondorf while the villain is not stunned, the Evil King will perform a mighty punch toward the ground, causing two Hearts of damage if he fails to get out of range of the shockwaves and damaging the floor further.
Both Phantom Ganon and Ganondorf's Dead Man's Volleys can be deflected by an Empty Bottle. However, this is not the case for the latter's special move.
Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages[]
The Sub-Boss Blue Stalfos in Oracle of Ages has two magical attacks similar to those of Agahnim's Shadow in Link's Awakening. However, the energy-ball attack does not cause damage. Instead, it turns Link into a vulnerable baby for a few seconds. When it is volleyed back at Blue Stalfos, the boss turns into a skull-faced Keese for the same amount of time, during which it is vulnerable to sword strikes.
In the first phase of the battle against Twinrova in the linked game, Link volleys Koume's fire attack to Kotake, and Kotake's ice attack to Koume. This combines Dead Man's Volley with the Mirror Shield reflection tactic used to defeat the same enemy in Ocarina of Time.
Four Swords[]
In Four Swords, Gouen launches a colored orb which can only be volleyed by the Link of that color. Instead of rallying with the boss, the Links can bat the orb back and forth between each other until it hits the boss.
The same tactic is used at the end of the game against Vaati.
The Wind Waker[]
In The Wind Waker, Dead Man's Volley is used against Phantom Ganon only. As in Ocarina of Time, Link and Phantom Ganon volley energy orbs back and forth until the latter is struck by his own attack. This is the first game in which the tempo of the rally increases with each volley, as reflected by the background music.
In Ganon's Tower, in the second battle against Phantom Ganon, he begins using a greater multi-projectile attack similar to Ganondorf's in Ocarina of Time, inflicting two Hearts of damage. It can be returned with a well-timed Spin Attack by the Hero of Winds.
Like in Ocarina of Time, an Empty Bottle can be used to reflect the volley attack.
Four Swords Adventures[]
Once again, Phantom Ganon launches colored energy orbs to be volleyed by the Link of the same color in Four Swords Adventures. During the second encounter in the Temple of Darkness, Phantom Ganon creates multiple clones that throw colorless orbs which dissipate on contact.
The Minish Cap[]
In The Minish Cap, during the final battle, Vaati's Wrath launches four energy orbs simultaneously. Link returns them all by creating three copies of himself using the Four Sword.
Twilight Princess[]
In Twilight Princess, Link performs Dead Man's Volley against Possessed Zelda when she uses her sword to cast balls of energy. As in The Wind Waker, a rally ensues that increases in pace until Princess Zelda, while being controlled by Ganondorf, is struck by her own attack. Zelda has no Critical Point — the attack inflicts damage on her directly.
As in previous 3D-installment games, an Empty Bottle can be used by the Hero of Twilight to volley the attack.
Phantom Hourglass[]
In Phantom Hourglass, during the boss battle against the Cubus Sisters, one of the four sisters will launch a blue-white orb at Link. They receive Link's return shot by batting it to and fro amongst each other for a while before sending it back at the young hero. Link wins a rally when one of the sisters is hit or killed by a return shot.
Skyward Sword[]
In Skyward Sword, Bilocyte spits green projectiles which Link must deflect with his sword back towards the boss's protective frills.
In the final battle against Ghirahim, Link returns Ghirahim's sword beams at him by swiping in the right direction, either vertical or horizontal.
A Link Between Worlds[]
Dead Man's Volley is used against Yuga Ganon in the second phase of the final battle in A Link Between Worlds. Like in some earlier games, the Bug Net can also be used to reflect his magic orbs. The orbs can vary in speed during this battle, and if Link fails to strike them swiftly enough, they will briefly bounce before falling onto him, giving him a moment to try and escape their damage. After several exchanges between them, Yuga Ganon will be struck by his own magic and get stunned, then merge into the wall as a Painting.
For the third and final round of Dead Man's Volley, Yuga Ganon will throw two magic orbs in alternation.
Tri Force Heroes[]
In Tri Force Heroes, Dead Man's Volley is used in the final battle against Lady Maud, where the magic orb will take the color of whichever of the Links is targeted. After hitting the orb, it will turn yellow and fly back towards The Lady, resulting in the orb being volleyed between her and the Links at increasing speeds. If the orb is not struck swiftly enough by the targeted Links, it will bounce upward and change color to that of another Link, who must then be the one to return the volley. If the Links miss the orb altogether, it will land on the ground and shock them, causing damage. Once the orb has been volleyed enough times, The Lady will catch the orb, spin around, and throw it back in a much larger and faster form. If this final orb is returned to The Lady, it will shock her and knock her back onto the ground. The Links can then strike her with their Swords until she recovers.
Tears of the Kingdom[]
In Tears of the Kingdom, a form of Dead Man's Volley can be used in the final battle against Demon King Ganondorf in which he will launch Gloom based projectiles that can be sent back with the Master Sword, causing damage to Ganondorf. Using any other weapon besides the Master Sword for the volley will cause it to break immediately, due to the villain's raw power.
There are three variations of this attack. In the first variation, Ganondorf will send three flying Gloom orbs towards Link. These orbs can be dodged due to their slow movement or can be sent back to Ganondorf and deal damage if Link swings the Master Sword at them. The second variation has the Demon King summoning a ring of Gloom orbs on the ground around the Hero of the Sky. These orbs will close in until one hits Link unless he runs in-between the orbs before they close in to dodge. With the Master Sword equipped, a timed Spin Attack will launch all orbs back towards Ganondorf and deal damage, similar to in Ocarina of Time. The final variation is a wave of Gloom orbs that are launched on the ground from Ganondorf. These orbs can be dodged once the orbs have become spread out enough. Link can also hit some with the Master Sword to send them back to Ganondorf and deal damage.
If Link does not have the Master Sword, it is recommended to dodge these attacks. Getting struck by any of the Gloom orbs will cause Link to permanently lose one Heart Container for the remainder of the battle.
Echoes of Wisdom[]
In Echoes of Wisdom, Ganon briefly uses Dead Man's Volley during his confrontation with Link, although the hero deflected it back in a single bout, stunning the Demon King long enough for Link to land a decisive blow.
Spinoff appearances[]
Hyrule Warriors[]
In Hyrule Warriors, a form of Dead Man's Volley is performed as one of Link's attacks as part of the Great Fairy weapon. The button combo B, B, Y has the Great Fairy briefly release Link from his giant Bottle, and the two volley an orb of light back and forth. The Great Fairy then grabs the orb and attacks surrounding enemies with the blast. As the attack animation is performed automatically, Link does not need to volley the orb for the attack to succeed.
Dead Man's Volley also appears in Hyrule Warriors Legends when fighting against Phantom Ganon. Unlike its other appearances, where the orb is volleyed a random number of times before the boss is hit, Phantom Ganon will always be hit by the orb after the Warrior volleys the orb three times, exposing his Weak Point Gauge. After Phantom Ganon has taken a certain amount of damage, he will change his tactics and no longer attack the Warrior with orbs, thus preventing Dead Man's Volley from being used.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity[]
In Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, a variation of Dead Man's Volley appears when fighting against the Battle-Tested Guardian. Unlike other variations, this version utilizes the Battle-Tested Guardian's laser instead of an orb, and requires a Perfect Guard to deflect the projectile instead of a Sword. The laser is deflected in a similar manner to a regular Guardian Stalker's laser being deflected, but the Battle-Tested Guardian will deflect back towards the Warrior for a random number of times before bring hit, exposing its Weak Point Gauge. Alternatively, the Battle-Tested Guardian may choose to dodge the deflected laser instead, and resume fighting the Warrior.
Because the Perfect Guard requires a Shield to be used, only Link (equipped with a one-handed Weapon), Urbosa, or Riju can initiate the Dead Man's Volley.
Crossover appearances[]
Battle Quest[]
In Battle Quest, the Dead Man's Volley appears when fighting Wizzrobes in Co-Op Play. Wizzrobe will occasionally throw a glowing orb that is the same color as one of the Links. The color shows which Link is being targeted and must volley the orb. Only Links holding swords will be targeted by the attack. If the orb is volleyed by Wizzrobe, it will gain speed and may change color. It is also possible that the orb will split into three orbs, each targeting a different Link holding a sword.
Trivia[]
- In the famous duel against Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time, it is believed by some fans the Gerudo warlock speaks "Booyah!" whenever he performs the Dead Man's Volley attack towards the Hero of Time. However, he is actually saying "Oh, yeah!".
- It is possible that the battle itself was not originally intended as such, as an artwork showing Link fighting against him in hand-to-hand combat, suggesting the Dead Man's Volley was added late in development. This was met with criticism by some players, however.
- The unused Arwing enemy from the Star Fox series in Ocarina of Time uses sound effects of Phantom Ganon's Dead Man's Volley as it fires its laser shots at Link.
Nomenclature[]
Despite its first appearance as early as A Link to the Past, the name "Dead Man's Volley" originates from Phantom Hourglass. The Cubus Sisters call it that in a taunt before the boss battle on the Ghost Ship.[1] The name is also a reference to the horror theme of that dungeon. and is similar to the infamous slang "Dead man walking", which refers to someone about to lose their position or be put to death.
The name is a play on the title of the murder-mystery novel Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie.
 Names in Other Regions 
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | Meaning | |
 |
FrenchCA | Volley maudit | |
 |
FrenchEU | Volley Vicieux | |
 |
German | Höllisches Volleyball | Hellish Volleyball |
 |
SpanishEU | Vóleibol Infernal | Infernal Volleyball |
 |
SpanishLA | Voleibol Infernal | Infernal Volleyball |
See Also[]
Notes
- ↑ Despite its frequent recurrence in the series, Dead Man's Volley was only ever named once, in Phantom Hourglass.[verification needed] The term is applied to the whole series though it loses meaning out of context. See Nomenclature.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "If you want to save Tetra, you'll have to play a match of dead man's volley first! So... Are you a big enough boy to return these volleys?" — Cubus Sisters (Phantom Hourglass)
- ↑ "Listen well, Link. Even with the Master Sword, you cannot inflict physical harm on the wizard. You must find a way to return his own evil magic power to him." — Sahasrahla (A Link to the Past)