Bombs are explosive items that appear in most The Legend of Zelda games, and they first appear in The Legend of Zelda. Bombs are essential for Link to blow up cracked objects in his path, usually a rock or wall, so that he can progress. When Link places a bomb, it explodes after a few seconds; a bomb flashes red just before it explodes. Link can also use bombs as a weapon against enemies, and many of them get defeated instantly if they are caught within the blast radius.
Link can obtain bombs through various means; he can buy them from a store or merchant, and can sometimes find bombs by breaking a pot or slashing bushes. Some enemies drop bombs when defeated.
History
The Legend of Zelda
Bombs first appear in The Legend of Zelda. Here, they can be used to blow up walls on the overworld and in dungeons, and are necessary to defeat Dodongos. Gibdos occasionally visibly carry bombs.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Bombs make a second appearance in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. In this game, Link can pick up and carry bombs he has placed around. If Link does not quickly place a bomb he is carrying, it explodes on him, causing him to be damaged. There is also a Super Bomb available at a shop in the Dark World, which will follow Link around the overworld and explode if attacked. Green bombs are used by Bomb Soldiers, Hinoxes, and Sluggulas.
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
In The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, bombs are mostly the same as in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, except Link does not get injured if he is caught within the blast radius of a bomb that he throws. Link can buy bombs from the Town Tool Shop. If he uses a bomb at the same time as an arrow, it will create a Bomb Arrow. Bombs are additionally used by the enemies Bomber and Mad Bomber, which despite their similar English names are otherwise unrelated.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Link cannot carry bombs unless he has obtained a Bomb Bag. Instead of placing bombs immediately upon using them, Link will automatically carry them while lit, meaning he has to drop or throw them to not get hurt. Due to graphical limitations, bombs only use a model when being collected from a chest or a shop, with them otherwise being shown as sprites. The game introduces Bomb Flowers, an explosive type of plant that act the same as bombs, as well as Bombchu, a mouse-shaped mobile bomb that can climb walls.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
In The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Link can carry up to 30 bombs by default. The bombs at the Bomb Shop of Windfall Island are originally priced at 10,000 rupees, but after Tetra and her pirate crew raid the Bomb Shop, the shop owner lowers the price of the bombs.
Gallery
The Legend of Zelda sprite
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past sprite
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening sprite
Trivia
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (DX) (Nintendo Switch)
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Characters
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Main and supporting
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Link • Marin • Tarin • BowWow • Owl • Flying Rooster • Wind Fish
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Other
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Bear Cub • Chef Bear • Christine • CiaoCiao • Crazy Tracy • Dampé*** • Fairy Queen* • Fisherman • Gar and Dion* • Ghost • Grandma Yahoo • Goriya • Great Fairies • Henhouse Keeper • Hippo Model • Kiki the Monkey • Li'l Devil • Madam MeowMeow • Mamasha • Mamu • Manbo • Mermaid • Mr. Write • Old Man Ulrira • Papahl • Photographer** • Quadruplets • Raccoon • Richard • Sale • Schule Donavitch • Shopkeeper • Toucan • Trendy Gamester • Walrus • Witch
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Species
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Bee • Bird • Chicken • Fairy • Fish • Fox • Frog • Mini Bow-Wow • Monkey • Mouse • Rabbit • Seagull
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Enemies
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Normal enemies
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Armos • Ball and Chain Trooper • Ballereen • Beetle • Birky • Blooper • Boarblin • Bomb Trooper • Bombite • Bonewing* • Boo • Buzz Blob • Cheep Cheep • Crow • Cukeman • Dacto • Darknut • Firebat • Ghini • Giant Ghini • Gibdo • Giant Goponga Flower • Goo Specter • Goomba • Goponga Flower • Hardhat Beetle • Helmasaur • Hollow Mimic • Hue Ball* • K.K. Sniper • Keese • Leever • Like Like • Mini Angler • Mini-Moldorm • Mini Zol • Moblin • Octorok • Pairodd • Peahat • Pincer • Piranha • Piranha Plant • Pokey • Pols Voice • Rope • Sand Crab • Sea Urchin • Shrouded Stalfos • Shy Guy • Spark • Spiny • Spiny Beetle • Stalfos • Sword Moblin • Sword Stalfos • Tektite • Three-of-a-Kind • Vire • Voidmaster • Water Tektite • Winged Octorok • Wizzrobe • Zirro • Zol • Zombie • Zora
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Traps and obstacles
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Anti-Faery • Blade Trap • Boulder • Eye Guard • Face Lamp • Flame Fountain • Flying Tile • Giant Bubble • Laser • Lava • Mega Thwomp • Podoboo • Quick Sand • Shadow Link*** • Spiked Thwomp • Stone Elevator • Thwomp • Wallmaster***
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Minibosses
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Armos Knight • Avalaunch* • Blaino • Dodongo Snake • Giant Buzz Blob* • Gohma • Grim Creeper and Creeps • Hinox • Hydrosoar • Lanmola • Master Stalfos • Moblin Chief • Rover • Spike Roller • Turtle Rock
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Bosses
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Moldorm • Genie • Slime Eye • Angler Fish • Slime Eel • Facade • Evil Eagle • Hot Head • Shadow Nightmares (Giant Zol Shadow • Agahnim Shadow • Moldorm Shadow • Ganon Shadow • Lanmola Shadow • Death Shadow) • Hardhit Beetle*
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Equipment
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Weapons
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Bomb • Boomerang • Bow and Arrows • Hookshot • Magic Rod • Pegasus Boots • Power Bracelet (Powerful Bracelet) • Shield (Mirror Shield) • Sword (Koholint Sword)
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Items
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Blue Clothes* • Compass • Dungeon Map • Fairy • Flippers • Golden Leaf • Guardian Acorn • Heart • Heart Container • Magnifying Lens • Nightmare Key • Piece of Heart • Piece of Power • Red Clothes* • Rupee • Secret medicine • Secret Seashell • Small Key • Stone beak • Toadstool • Trading sequence items (Yoshi Doll, Ribbon, Canned food, Bananas, Stick, Honeycomb, Pineapple, Hibiscus, Goat's letter, Broom, Fishing hook, Necklace/Bra, Mermaid's Scale)
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Dungeon Keys
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Tail Key • Slime Key • Angler Key • Face Key • Bird Key
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Instruments of the Sirens
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Full Moon Cello • Conch Horn • Sea Lily's Bell • Surf Harp • Wind Marimba • Coral Triangle • Organ of Evening Calm • Thunder Drum
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Locations
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Koholint Island
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Animal Village • Cemetery • East of the Bay • Goponga Swamp • Koholint Prairie • Mabe Village • Martha's Bay • Mt. Tamaranch • Mysterious Forest • Pothole Field • Rapids Ride • Shrine Waterfall • Signpost Maze • South of the Village • Tabahl Wasteland • Tal Tal Heights • Tal Tal Mountain Range • Toronbo Shores • Ukuku Prairie • Yarna Desert
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Dungeons
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Level 1 - Tail Cave • Level 2 - Bottle Grotto • Level 3 - Key Cavern • Level 4 - Angler's Tunnel • Level 5 - Catfish's Maw • Level 6 - Face Shrine • Level 7 - Eagle's Tower • Level 8 - Turtle Rock • Wind Fish's Egg • Color Dungeon*
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Buildings
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Crazy Tracy's Health Spa • Henhouse • House by the Bay • Manbo's Pond • Madam MeowMeow's House • Marin and Tarin's House • Old Man Ulrira's House • Quadruplets House • Raft Shop • Richard's Villa • Sale's House o' Bananas • Seashell Mansion • Telephone Booth • Town Tool Shop • Trendy Game • Under the bridge • Village Library • Weird Mr. Write • Witch's Hut
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Other
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Ancient Ruins • Camera Shop** • Chamber Dungeon*** • Dampé's Shack*** • Dream Shrine • Faerie Spring • Fishing Pond • Kanalet Castle • Mermaid Statue • Moblin Cave • Warp point • Weathervane • Well
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* Not in the original version ** Exclusive to Link's Awakening DX *** Exclusive to the Nintendo Switch remake
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