- "Bow & Silver Arrows" redirects here. See also Bow.
Silver Arrows are recurring Items in The Legend of Zelda series.[1][2][note 1]
Location and Uses[]
Silver Arrows are rare and very powerful Arrows specifically used to defeat Ganon in The Legend of Zelda and A Link to the Past. In the only two games they appeared in the core series, even though the Master Sword is present in A Link to the Past, they are the only weapon that is capable of defeating Ganon, who will recover from any Sword wounds if not pierced by a Silver Arrow.[2] In later games of the series since Ocarina of Time, these special Arrows are replaced by the Light Arrows and performed a similar role, although they actually function the complete opposite in that they merely stun Ganon or his human form Ganondorf, not to outright destroy him (although in some games they can instantly kill regular enemies like Silver Arrows did in A Link to the Past); The Master Sword is usually used to deal the final blow instead. Aside from one occasion in Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages where the King of Evil was not fully revived, the Silver Arrows are the only weapon shown in The Legend of Zelda series to completely destroy Ganon in his demonic beast form.
The Legend of Zelda[]
In The Legend of Zelda, the Silver Arrow is found in Level-9 of both the main quest and the Second Quest. In the final battle, after hitting Ganon 15 times with the Sword, 8 times with the White Sword or only 4 times with the Magical Sword, the beast becomes stunned and Link must use a single Silver Arrow to finish him off.[3] These special Arrows also deal double the damage normal Arrows does to enemies, equal in power to the Magical Sword and Bombs.
A Link to the Past[]
In A Link to the Past, Silver Arrows are given to Link by the Fat Fairy inside the Pyramid of Power, once the way has been opened with a Super Bomb.[2] Significantly stronger than in their previous appearance, they are much more powerful versions of the standard Arrows Link obtains and are the strongest weapon in the game, outclassing the Golden Sword in raw power. When used as weapons in the field, they can kill any enemy with a single shot, including even some bosses. Keeping in tradition with the original The Legend of Zelda game, the Silver Arrows are required to kill Ganon, although it takes four shots to finally defeat him rather than one. They are to be used when Ganon is stunned after being struck by the Master Sword (or any upgraded form) in the late part of the Final Boss battle.[2]
Other Appearances[]
BS The Legend of Zelda[]
In BS The Legend of Zelda, Silver Arrows are found in Level-8 and serve the same purpose as in the original NES game.
Ancient Stone Tablets[]
In Ancient Stone Tablets, the Silver Arrows are foretold to be buried on Death Mountain, and appear from a Hylian Monolith that also seals away Ganon's Tower from the world. They carry the same purpose and function as previous titles.
The Legend of Zelda (Valiant Comics)[]
The Silver Arrow, as seen in the comic
The Silver Arrow is also featured in two stories of The Legend of Zelda comics by Valiant Comics, and in both appearances, Princess Zelda is the one to wield it with her bow. In Day of the Triforce, Princess Zelda decides to go attack and defeat Ganon once and for all since he is now powerless.[4] Once she reaches Death Mountain to challenge Ganon, she finds the powerless Ganon in his throne. Just as she is about to shoot him with the Silver Arrow, she hears a cry for help in another room and cannot help but to go and aid said person instead.[5][6]
In Choices, Zelda finds the Silver Arrow on a small pedestal after defeating a Darknut inside Death Mountain.[7] She then recalls what Impa told her that if Zelda's heart is true, the Triforce of Wisdom will help her use the Silver Arrow to destroy Ganon.[8] When the princess finds Ganon, she quickly readies a Silver Arrow to shoot at him,[9] but before she has a chance to release it at the Prince of Darkness to defeat him, Link comes crashing in, giving Ganon a chance to escape.[10]
A Link to the Past (Ishinomori)[]
The Silver Arrow in the A Link to the Past comic
In the A Link to the Past comic by Shotaro Ishinomori, Roam reveals that he is seeking the Silver Arrow spoken of in the Book of Mudora, which mentions that the one who corrupts the Golden Land will be defeated with the sacred arrow.[11] Although he reveals to Link that he has yet to find it, Roam continues to search for the Silver Arrow to defeat Ganon with it and prove himself to be the legendary hero.[12] However, when Link and Zelda arrive to Ganon's Tower, Roam suddenly appears and admits he has failed to find the Silver Arrows, and enters the tower with the young hero and the princess. Inside, after Roam dies saving Zelda, the princess uses Roam's crossbow to shoot an ordinary arrow at Ganon. As it approaches Ganon, the power of the Maidens, Zelda, Link, and Roam, turn the arrow into the Silver Arrow,[13] destroying the King of Thieves.
A Link to the Past (Himekawa)[]
In the A Link to the Past manga by Akira Himekawa, the heads of the Silver Arrows are an heirloom of the Knights of Hyrule.[14] Their only known living descendant, the young thief Ghanti, wore them as earrings, unaware of their true purpose. This fact is revealed to her by Princess Zelda shortly after she recovered from the wounds she sustained as Trinexx,[14] causing the young thief to change her views on the Knights. She later uses the Arrows to aid Link in his battle against Ganon, and with them, deals the finishing blow.
Hyrule Warriors[]
In Hyrule Warriors' Master Quest DLC pack, a 3D version of the 8-Bit Silver Arrow from The Legend of Zelda appears as a weapon for Fi. It is statistically identical to and part of the Goddess Blade weapon type.
Trivia[]
- The Silver Arrows' function as Ganon's only weakness in the earliest Zelda titles prior to Ocarina of Time is similar to more modern werewolf legends, in which a silver bullet is the only weapon that can kill a werewolf. This may be because the precious metal silver was considered a holy element in some religious cultures, especially Judaism.
- After BS The Legend of Zelda (Map 2) and Ancient Stone Tablets, both released in 1997 on the Japan-only Satellaview for the Super Famicom, the Silver Arrows would not appear again in any game of the franchise until 17 years later, with Hyrule Warriors, in 2014. Despite this, they remain absent in the main series since A Link to the Past, which was released in 1991.
- As this weapon is specifically designed to destroy Ganon entirely and is even greater in damage than the strongest Master Sword variant - the Golden Sword, in A Link to the Past (and A Link Between Worlds in spite of not appearing in-game), the Silver Arrows are arguably the most powerful weapon in The Legend of Zelda series.
Nomenclature[]
 Names in other regions  | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | Meaning | |
 | Japanese | 銀の矢 (Gin no Ya) (TLoZ | ALttP)[15][16] ギンノヤ (Gin no Ya) (TLoZ) 銀の弓矢 (Gin no Yumiya) (ALttP)[17] | Same as English. Same as English. Silver Bow and Arrow |
 | Dutch | Zilver pijl (TLoZ)[18] | Silver arrow |
 | FrenchEU | Flèche en argent (TLoZ)[19] | Silver arrow |
| This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference. | |||
Gallery[]
Artwork of Link slaying Ganon with the Silver Arrow from The Legend of Zelda
Princess Zelda revealing Ghanti's earrings to be the arrowheads for the Silver Arrows from The Legend of Zelda comic
The 8-Bit Silver Arrow from Hyrule Warriors
Fi wielding the 8-Bit Silver Arrow from Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition
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Notes
- ↑ In A Link to the Past, the item appears on the Sub Screen as Bow & Silver Arrows.
References
- ↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 138 (TLoZ)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "You are an honest person. I like you. I will give you something important... These are the Silver Arrows. To give Ganon his last moment, you definitely need them! I know I don't quite have the figure of a faerie. Ganon's cruel power is to blame! You must defeat Ganon!" — Cursed Fairy (A Link to the Past)
- ↑ "Link's no match for Ganon and his might. Whatever attack Link uses, Ganon just repels him. But if Link could only use the magical sword and some other object, he'll manage to topple the mighty Ganon. Other object? What's that?" (The Legend of Zelda manual, pg. 39)
- ↑ "Relax, Impa... It's not as bad as all that. If ALL three Triforces are gone, then the evil wizard Gannon is bereft of the Triforce of Power. He will not attack us without it. Look upon today as a rare day of...PEACE." (The Legend of Zelda comic, Valiant Comics, pg. 1)
- ↑ "What's that? A cry for help! Surely you cannot ignore some innocent in danger!" (The Legend of Zelda comic, Valiant Comics, pg. 7)
- ↑ "Curse you, Ganon! This isn't over yet!" (The Legend of Zelda comic, Valiant Comics, pg. 7)
- ↑ "A Silver Arrow...of course! I remember!" (The Legend of Zelda comic, Valiant Comics, pg. 4)
- ↑ "Find a Silver Arrow. If your heart is true, the Triforce will help you use it to destroy Ganon." (The Legend of Zelda comic, Valiant Comics, pg. 4)
- ↑ "Ganon, the only thing you're going to get is Justice!" (The Legend of Zelda comic, Valiant Comics, pg. 9)
- ↑ "Bah! I will choose my OWN time to deal with you! The game is not yet over!" (The Legend of Zelda comic, Valiant Comics, pg. 10)
- ↑ "It is written in the Book of Mudora: 'He who corrupts the land of gold shall fall to the shaft of the enchanted arrow of silver...' My family has always excelled in archery, and it is my destiny to destroy Ganon! I have not yet obtained the enchanted arrow, but..." (A Link to the Past manga, VIZ Media, pg. 4)
- ↑ "Admit it, Link. It seems to support the Book of Mudora's prophecy that only the enchanted arrow can defeat the one who corrupted this world. You are stubborn and foolish... I will defeat Ganon!" (A Link to the Past manga, VIZ Media, pg. 6)
- ↑ "It was the enchanted arrow..." (A Link to the Past manga, VIZ Media, pg. 6)
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Yes. Ghanti is a Hylian too. And this is the Silver Arrow passed from the Knights of Hyrule. It can pierce any evil." (A Link to the Past manga, VIZ Media, pg. 153)
- ↑ The Legend of Zelda manual, pg. 23
- ↑ Nintendo Official Guidebook—The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords (Shogakukan) pg. 13
- ↑ Nintendo Official Guidebook—The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Vol. 1 (Shogakukan 1) pg. 23
- ↑ The Legend of Zelda manual, pg. 24
- ↑ The Legend of Zelda manual, pg. 24