Bomb

A Bomb as seen in The Wind Waker.
Bomb
Type	Explosive
Debut	The Legend of Zelda

This article is about the item from the Zelda series. For other uses, see Bomb (disambiguation).

The Bomb is an explosive that appears as an item in various installments of the The Legend of Zelda series.

Information

A bomb is usually represented as being a small dark-colored orb with a fuse. Once a bomb is used, it will begin flashing and explode shortly afterwards. Starting in A Link to the Past, Link can also pick up and throw bombs after setting them down. Aside from hurting various enemies (including some that can only be harmed by bombs), bombs can also destroy obstacles and blow open hidden passages in walls. Link can carry a limited amount of bombs, although like most limited items, he can eventually upgrade the number of bombs he can carry in most games. From Ocarina of Time onwards, it is shown that his bombs are kept within a bomb bag, and the size of the bag determines the amount of bombs he can carry. Skyward Sword added some more features, as bombs could be rolled along the ground instead of being thrown, and Link could also replenish bombs by harvesting Bomb Flowers.

Bombs have other secondary uses depending on the game. In some games, they can be combined with the bow and arrow to form a Bomb Arrow. Bombs have also been used as cannon ammunition for boats and trains. There are various stores specializing in bombs, and Gorons in particular seem to be good with explosives. They grow the crop called the Bomb Flower from which bombs are harvested. The Gorons also perfected a much more potent explosive called the Powder Keg. Bombs are also sometimes lobbed by enemies, and they are particularly associated with the Hinoxes.

Appearances

In early games (The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening, bombs could be obtained through normal means in various areas such as shops or treasure chests at early points within the games. In The Legend of Zelda, Link could carry up to 8 bombs, and there were two points in the game (within the Lizard and Demon Labyrinths) where old men could upgrade the bombs he could carry by four, potentially bringing Link up to sixteen bombs. In A Link to the Past, Link could initially hold up to 10 bombs, and with regular donations to the Pond of Happiness the Queen of Fairies could grant him five and later ten more bombs until reaching a maximum of 50 bombs. In Link's Awakening, Link could hold up to 20 bombs at first, and after being "cursed" by the Mad Batter he could hold up to 60.

In Ocarina of Time, Link's first bomb bag was found at Dodongo's Cavern and came with 20 bombs. Link could obtain a Big Bomb Bag holding 30 bombs and a Biggest Bomb Bag holding 40 bombs, and these upgrades were obtained by stopping the Hot Rodder Goron at Goron City and as a prize in the Bombchu Bowling Alley minigame in either order. In Majora's Mask, Link could buy a Bomb Bag from the Bomb Shop in Clock Town, and this game had bomb bags with the same capacities as Ocarina of Time. The Big Bomb Bag could be bought at the Bomb Shop on the second day if Link had stopped Sakon from mugging the shop's old lady the night before, or Link could buy it for a higher price from the Curiosity Shop on the night of the third day if Sakon's mugging was successful. The Biggest Bomb Bag was sold by the Business Scrub at Snowhead for 200 Rupees plus trading in the Big Bomb Bag. Within the Oracle games, Link could carry up to ten bombs after first obtaining them, and upgrades could raise his capacity to 30 and then 60. In Oracle of Ages, Queen Ambi would give Link bombs as a reward for bringing in Mystery Seeds. Link's bomb-carrying capacity could be upgraded by throwing a bomb into a fairy fountain at Talus Peaks and answering the Fairy truthfully, and by telling a secret to the Tokay running the Wild Tokay minigame in a linked game. In Oracle of Seasons, the bombs are found earlier at the Gnarled Root Dungeon. One upgrade was a Big Bomb that could be bought at Subrosia Market, while the other upgrade was obtained by bringing a secret and then 777 Ore Chunks to a pirate sailor in Subrosia.

Within The Wind Waker, Cannon was the only person initially selling bombs at Windfall Island, but his prices were too high for Link to afford. The bomb industry was shown as a dying business, but it started to spread later in the game. Tetra later attacked him and stole his bombs during the time that Link was searching for Jabun. Link could go to the pirate ship and earn bombs by completing Niko's newest challenge. Link could initially carry 30 bombs, but this capacity can be upgraded to 60 and then 99 by visiting the Great Fairies at Eastern and Southern Fairy Island. In Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures, the bomb was found as a common item at pedestals throughout both games, and Link could use unlimited amounts of bombs while holding the item. In the latter games, bombs could be temporarily upgraded into Level 2 Bombs by Great Fairies. In The Minish Cap, the first bomb bag is given to Link by Belari at the Minish Village after completing the Deepwood Shrine. Link could find a bigger bomb bag in a treasure chest near the Wind Ruins by fusing Kinstones with Belari later on, and another bomb bag upgrade was granted by the Great Mayfly Fairy at Mount Crenel.

In Twilight Princess, there are three separate Bomb Bags that could be acquired in the game, and each could contain Bombs. The first bomb bag could be bought from Barnes at Kakariko Village, while others could be obtained by helping Iza at Zora's River and by finding one within Zora's Domain by using Water Bombs underwater within the throne room. Each bomb bag could only hold one type of bomb. Iza could also upgrade a bomb bag to a Giant Bomb Bag which holds twice as many bombs after scoring well in her river rapids minigame. In Phantom Hourglass, a Bomb Bag holding 10 bombs was found at the Temple of Wind. The upgraded bomb bags which held 20 and 30 bombs, could be bought at a shop or won at the Cannon Game in either order. In Spirit Tracks, the bomb bag went on sale at Beedle's Air Shop after the Snow Temple was completed. Upgraded bomb bags could be won from the second level of the Take 'Em All On minigame and by setting a new record at Whittleton's Whip Race. In Skyward Sword, Link had to retrieve a Bomb Bag for the Mogma named Ledd after he lost it in the Earth Temple, but Ledd ultimately decided to let Link keep it. As a part of the game's item system, Link could purchase or find multiple bomb bags but only carry a certain amount with him depending on the openings in his Pouch. Link could carry ten bombs in his initial bomb bag, and each extra Bomb Bag started off as a small one (holding five bombs) and could be upgraded to Medium and Large which each held an additional five bombs.

In A Link Between Worlds, the Bomb was available through Ravio's shop along with most of the traditional Zelda items. Initially, Link could only rent it for 50 Rupees, but later in the game, it could be bought permanently for 800 Rupees. Once Link owned it, he could also upgrade it to the more powerful Nice Bomb through Mother Maiamai. In this game, there was no limit on Link's number of bombs, but using them did deplete his Energy Gauge. Bombs also appeared in Tri Force Heroes as items that could be obtained and used in various levels. One of the game's outfits, the Big Bomb Outfit, would turn all Bombs and Bomb Flowers used by Link into Big Bombs.

The traditional versions of bombs were replaced by Remote Bombs in Breath of the Wild. The two types of Remote Bombs were items that Link could access through Runes on his Sheikah Slate, rather than being inventory items. When used, Link would generate a Remote Bomb and could set it down or throw it. The Remote Bomb could be detonated at the time of the player's choosing. The only limits on the Remote Bombs were that only one could be used at a time, and Link had to wait for a short amount of time between uses of Remote Bombs. The two types of Remote Bombs were a square-shaped one and a spherical one, with the primary difference between the two being that one was stationary while the other could be rolled around. The uses of the Remote Bombs were similar to usual games, in that they could be used to damage enemies and destroy obstacles and cracked walls. Remote Bomb blasts could also be used to power some cannons and other devices. The runes for both types of Remote Bombs were gained early in the game, from the Ja Baiji Shrine on the Great Plateau. They could also be upgraded to the Remote Bomb+ by Purah, which made the Remote Bombs faster and decreased the time that had to pass between bombs.

Variations

There have been several different types of bombs that were introduced throughout the game, each with their own specific usages.

• Super Bomb - This is only available near the end of A Link to the Past at the Dark World's Bomb Shop. It is a special gigantic bomb with an orange-like color. It cannot be carried and only fires Link around due to its size. The only use for this giant bomb is blowing open the cracked slab at the Pyramid of Power behind which the cursed Great Fairy is hidden.
• Bombchu - This is a special bomb which has appeared in several games since Ocarina of Time. It is a mobile timed bomb resembling a mouse that can crawl up walls and ceilings, exploding when it hits something or its limit expires.
• Level 2 Bomb - A type of bomb featured in Four Swords Adventures once a bomb is upgraded by a Great Fairy. These bombs are primarily larger and more powerful.
• Remote Bomb - A variation that appears only in The Minish Cap. It acts like a normal bomb, but Link can remotely detonate it at any point he wants. It is developed by Belari, and Link must trade in his normal bombs for Remote Bombs, although he can trade back at his own choosing. A different version of the Remote Bomb is also used in place of the normal bombs in Breath of the Wild.
• Bombling - The Bombling is an insect-like bomb that will move forward similarly to the bombchu. It explodes when it hits something or when its time limit expires. Unlike the Bombchu, it cannot move up walls. Link can hold up to ten in a bomb bag or twenty in a Giant Bomb Bag.
• Water Bomb - These appear in Twilight Princess and were developed by Barnes around the time that Zora's Domain were thawed. They are bombs that can be used underwater and are needed for the Lakebed Temple. Link can hold up to 15 in a Bomb Bag or 30 in a Giant Bomb Bag.

There is also the Blast Mask in Majora's Mask, which imitates a bomb. Some of the rings from theOracle games can also effect how bombs are used.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• In the Super Smash Bros. games, Link (as well as Young and Toon Link) withdraws a bomb as his up special move and can then toss it as enemies.
• The bomb is also used for one of Link's attacks in Soulcalibur II.
• In Hyrule Warriors, bombs were items that could be used in battles, with similar functions as in the other games, and they could be upgraded into giant bombs through power-ups. Bombs could also be used by Ravio in his attacks with the Rental Hammer moveset. Normal and Water Bombs also appeared as Item Cards in Adventure Mode that could be used to destroy boulders on the game map, and the Bomb Item Card could also activate the Rupee Nice Power on the Ravio Board in the Lorule Map.

Trivia

• The bomb has been present in every Zelda game save for Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, due to its deviations from traditional Zelda gameplay.
• There are several species with bomb-like capabilities, and they seem to be the inspiration (or the source) for some of the bomb variations: the Real Bombchu, the Bombfish and the Bomblings.
• When using the Tingle Tuner in The Wind Waker, Tingle can provide his own Tingle Bombs (which act the same as normal bombs) for ten Rupees.