Roc's Feather

Roc's Feather was an item used in multiple The Legend of Zelda games that allowed Link the ability to jump. By itself, Link could only jump over a single space, but combined with other items such as the Pegasus Boots, Link could jump multiple spaces. Alternatively, the Roc's Cape, an upgrade of the item, let Link glide over multiple spaces at once without having to use another item. This item has primarily appeared in Link's handheld adventures.

Appearances

In Link's Awakening, it was found in Tail Cave. In Oracle of Seasons, it was found in the Poison Moth's Lair and later had to be reclaimed after a pair of swindling brothers in Subrosia took it. It would ultimately be replaced when Link obtained Roc's Cape. Roc's Feather could be obtained in the Wing Dungeon of Oracle of Ages.

In Four Swords Adventures, it was a normal item and could be upgraded by a Great Fairy into a Level 2 Roc's Feather, giving the player a second jump.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• In Hyrule Warriors, one of the Boots weapons used by Linkle was known as Roc's Boots. These resembled a pair of Iron Boots with several Roc's Feathers attached.
• In Cadence of Hyrule, a similar item and was called the Rito Feather. It was found in a treasure chest in the overworld. It had less jumping ability than most versions of the Roc's Feather and was primarily used to dodge enemy attacks or to deploy jumping attacks on them.

Other Media

• Although The Minish Cap utilized the cape without the feather, the manga adaptation was able to consolidate both of Roc's items. Librari had a magical Cucco feather that could draw maps and gave it to Link. The feather was later shown to be capable of transforming into Roc's Cape and could transform back, and it was primarily used during the battle against the Gyorg Pair.

Trivia

• It is likely that the name originates from the mythological bird known as the Roc. Later games have also introduced similarly-named birds such as the Kargaroc and the Helmaroc King, which raises the possibility that the feather could originate from one of those birds.
• Roc's Feather was initially red in it's first appearance in Link's Awakening but later releases changed it to blue.
• In the 3-D games and some later 2-D games, the function of Roc's Feather is fulfilled by game mechanics, as Link is capable of automatically crossing small gaps. Link is only capable of jumping normally in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, where his jumping abilities were instead enhanced by the Jump spell, and Breath of the Wild.
• Its function is also similar to the Feather item from Super Mario Kart.