A bow and arrow is a projectile weapon system used in archery. The bow is a flexible piece of material which shoots aerodynamic projectiles called arrows, which usually consists of a shaft, an arrowhead attached to the front end, with fletchings and a nock at the other. A string joins the two ends of the bow, and when the string is drawn back, the ends of the stick are flexed. When the string is released, the potential energy of the flexed stick is transformed into the velocity of the arrow.
Today, bows and arrows are used primarily for hunting and for the sport of archery. Though they are still occasionally used as weapons of war, the development of gunpowder and muskets, and the growing size of armies, led to their replacement in warfare several centuries ago in much of the world. Oliver Queen, as The Arrow, Malcolm Merlyn, as the Dark Archer, and Roy Harper, as Arsenal all prefer to use this traditional weapon.
Known users
- Yao Fei (deceased)
- Shado (deceased)
- Oliver Queen/The Arrow/Al Sah-him
- Malcolm Merlyn/Dark Archer
- Helena Bertinelli/The Huntress
- Sara Lance/The Canary (deceased)
- Nyssa al Ghul
- Roy Harper/Arsenal
- Simon Lacroix/Komodo
- Various League of Assassins Members
- Carrie Cutter/Cupid
- Thea Queen
- Maseo Yamashiro/Sarab (deceased)
- Ra's al Ghul
Bows used in Arrow
Oliver Queen as The Arrow primarily uses his own customized bow. In the past, Oliver has used a recurve bow, too short for his form, and a long bow after his recurve bow was destroyed. He is also in possession of a pistol crossbow, outfitted for use as a grappling hook, which he rarely uses. Oliver now uses a custom-made Oneida Kestrel compound bow. His arrows are primarily green, and also has several trick arrows at his disposal.
He and Shado also used Yao Fei's longbow and arrows during his time on the island. Helena as the Huntress uses a handgun-sized crossbow due to her lack of training and precision in archery. Malcolm Merlyn as the Dark Archer uses a customized compound-recurve bow. Roy Harper uses a customized recurve bow.