History Main / SplittingTheArrow

This is a subtrope of ImprobableAimingSkills, and a SisterTrope to ShootTheBullet. It is often used to characterize someone as a MasterArcher. Compare to WilliamTelling and ShootingAtYourOwnProjectiles.

* One of Dos Equis' beer commercials show their new Most Interesting Man In The World doing this with ''thrown knives''.

* ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'': Combined with AccidentalAimingSkills in ''Life With Archie'' #144 where Robbing Hood (Archie) is in an archery contest against the Sheriff of Nuttingham (Reggie). Archie's awkward disguise causes him to face the opposite direction to the target. His arrow bounces off a tree, a shield and a spear before hitting the centre of the target: splitting Reggie's arrow.

* The TropeCodifier is the 1938 version of ''Film/TheAdventuresOfRobinHood'', where Robin defeats the Sir Guy's captain of archers in the archery tournament by splitting the captain's shaft which is lodged in the dead centre of the target. the stunt was done in one take by professional archer Howard Hill, who also played the captain of archers, so Hill was actually splitting his own arrow.

* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E3RobotOfSherwood Robots of Sherwood]]", Robin Hood and the Doctor keep splitting one another's arrows in the famous archery contest. [[spoiler: Though the Doctor later confesses to cheating with homing arrows.]]

* Discussed in an episode of in the Danish series, ''Series/{{Hjerteafdelingen}}'' (The Cardiology Ward). The doctors have arranged for a wise Indian guru to visit the patients in order to give them life advice and answer their innermost questions. One of the patients asks the guru about the classic Robin Hood example (he had recently read the story), questioning exactly why doing this stunt allowed Robin to win the shooting contest. The guru ruminates over the question for a long time and but is unable to come up with an answer, something that frustrates him so much that he eventually suffers a heart attack from the stress of it.

* ''Series/QueenForSevenDays'': During their archery practice Lee Yung splits one of Lee Yeok's arrows. Played with, since in this case the villain fires the second arrow.

** In the Dragons Cinematic. Genji slices an arrow heading for him shot by Hanzo using his sword and the split arrow sticks on a wall.

* ''Tabletopgame/{{GURPS}}: RobinHood'' includes Robin Hood style characters for different settings. The WildWest version is a White Man GoingNative whose native name 'Splits Arrow' comes from performing this feat.

->''I step into the room, split an arrow with an arrow!''

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'': A similar outcome in "The Return of the King" when Mr. Ratburn's class go on a field trip to a medieval fair competing against his former teacher's class in medieval-themed competitions. Francine lands a bullseye in suction cup arrow archery. Her competitor licks the suction cup, aims above Francine's arrow causing it slide down taking the bullseye.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'': A similar outcome in "The Return of the King" when Mr. Ratburn's class go on a field trip to a medieval fair competing against his former teacher's class in medieval-themed competitions. Francine lands a bullseye in suction cup arrow archery. Her competitor licks the suction cup, aims above Francine's arrow leading to it slide down taking the bullseye.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'': A similar outcome in "The Return of the King" when Mr. Ratburn's class go on a field trip to a medieval fair competing against his former teacher's class in medieval-themed competitions. Francine lands a bullseye in suction cup arrow archery. Her competitor licks the suction cup, aims above Francine's arrow and pushes down taking the bullseye.

%%* The TropeCodifier is the 1938 version of ''Film/TheAdventuresOfRobinHood''.

* In the 1952 ''Film/TheStoryofRobinHoodAndHisMerrieMen,'' Robin and his father, Hugh Fitzooth, compete against one of the Sheriff's men. First, the Sheriff's man tries and is short of the mark. Then Robin beats him with a perfect bulls-eye, and then Hugh Fitzooth splits his arrow. {{Subverted}} in that, though he is offered the prize, Hugh gives it to his son, whose aim "was no less true than mine."

* Done with darts in the ''Series/LoisAndClark'' episode "When Irish Eyes Are Killing". As Clark catches wind of a robbery and tries to come up with an excuse to leave a game of darts against the villain of the week, who had just gotten a bull's-eye, the latter goads Clark, who responds by doing this with his last dart.

* The ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' supplement ''Complete Warrior'' has rules for an archery contest that naturally include rules for splitting an opponent's arrow.

* ''FanFic/ThePiratePegasus'': Taken UpToEleven when Korsan fires his prototype crossbow that shoots metal bolts at Thieves' Hold. The first bolt hits the bullseyes and the second ''splits'' the first bolt.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'', this is how Merida wins the archery contest to avoid an ArrangedMarriage. Not only does her arrow split the other arrow, but it also [[UpToEleven goes straight through the target and hits the stand behind it!]]

* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E3RobotOfSherwood Robots of Sherwood]]" takes this UpToEleven when Robin Hood and the Doctor keep splitting one another's arrows in the famous archery contest. [[spoiler: Though the Doctor later confesses to cheating with homing arrows.]]

* Disney's ''WesternAnimation/RobinHood'' has the title character shoot one of his own arrows mid-flight to change its course, resulting in it hitting dead center and splitting the sheriff's arrow.

->''"I step into the room, split an arrow with an arrow!"''

* The TropeCodifier is the 1938 version of ''Film/TheAdventuresOfRobinHood''.
* Robin's daughter Gwyn does this in ''Film/PrincessOfThieves''; splitting the arrow at 100 yards to win the tournament.

* Both Alfred and the villain known as The Archer did this in ''Series/Batman1966''. In fact, they were both so good that they agreed that the first one to ''fail'' to split the other's arrow would lose.

* In ''Series/OnceUponATime'' "The Bear and the Bow," Merida does this several times in succession.
* Rong Le does this blindfolded during the archery contest in ''Series/PrincessSilver''.

* The ''Dungeons&Dragons'' supplement ''Complete Warrior'' has rules for an archery contest that naturally include rules for splitting an opponent's arrow.

* The ''TabletopGame/Dungeons&Dragons'' supplement ''Complete Warrior'' has rules for an archery contest that naturally include rules for splitting an opponent's arrow.

* ''Tabletopgame/{{GURPS}}: RobinHood'' includes Robin Hood style characters for different settings. The WildWest version is a WhiteManGoneNative whose native name 'Splits Arrow' comes from performing this feat.

* In ''В яранге горит огонь'', the boy fires an arrow across a precipice, then another arrow that embeds in the first one, then another... until he's built a (flimsy) ''bridge'' out of arrows.

This is a subtrope of ImprobableAimingSkills, and a SisterTrope to ShootTheBullet. Compare to WilliamTelling and ShootingAtYourOwnProjectiles.

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1458644686028375900
%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.

* ''{{ComicBook/Thorgal}}'' has been known to do this, as he's an expert archer. A variation happens during an archery duel, when a rival archer fires at Thorgal and he fires ''two arrows simultaneously'' back - one arrow deflects the rival's arrow, the other hits him in the chest.

* ''ComicStrip/TheWizardOfId'': In one strip, Sir Rodney puts an arrow in the bulls-eye during a tournament. The King asks him if he can do it again. Rodney responds by splitting the arrow. When the King congratulates him, Rodney mutters that he had been aiming at the apple in the King's hand.

* Disney's ''WesternAnimation/RobinHood'' has the title character shoot one of his own arrows mid-flight to change its course, resulting in it hitting dead center and splitting the sheriff's arrow.

* In the 1952 ''Film/TheStoryofRobinHoodAndHisMerrieMen,'' Robin and his father, Hugh Fitzooth, compete against one of the Sheriff's men. First, the Sheriff's man tries and is short of the mark. Then Robin beats him with a perfect bulls-eye, and then Hugh Fitzooth splits his arrow. {{Subverted}} in that, though he is offered the prize, Hugh gives it to his son, whose aim "was no less true than mine."

* Robin's daughter Gwyn does this in ''Film/PrincessOfThieves''; splitting the arrow at 100 yards to win the tournament.
* Playfully {{subverted}} in ''Film/RobinHood1991''. In the archery contest, the first archer's arrow hits just to the side of the target (a slim wooden wand), a very respectable shot. Then Robin shoots his arrow and hits the wooden wand dead on-- splitting the ''target'' in two.

* ''Series/QueenForSevenDays'': During their archery practice Lee Yung splits one of Lee Yeok's arrows. Played with, since in this case the villain fires the second arrow.

* The ''Series/MythBusters'' took on the [[Film/TheAdventuresOfRobinHood Errol Flynn]] scene twice, and busted it both times. They suspect the arrow Flynn (or archery adviser Howard Hill) shot at had been tampered with -- their guest archer pulled the split off on the first try when shooting at a hollow bamboo arrow.

* ''Series/TheManFromUNCLE'':
** "The Virtue Affair" contains a contest of escalating trick archery, including splitting an arrow.
** In "The Gazebo in the Maze Affair," Napoleon does this with ''darts'' in a British pub.
* Discussed in an episode of in the Danish series, ''Hjerteafdelingen'' (The Cardiology Ward). The doctors have arranged for a wise Indian guru to visit the patients in order to give them life advice and answer their innermost questions. One of the patients asks the guru about the classic Robin Hood example (he had recently read the story), questioning exactly why doing this stunt allowed Robin to win the shooting contest. The guru ruminates over the question for a long time and but is unable to come up with an answer, something that frustrates him so much that he eventually suffers a heart attack from the stress of it.
* When ''Series/RobinOfSherwood'' did this scene, everyone assumes Robin has won until the Sheriff snarkily observes that ''both'' arrows hit the bullseye, so there needs to be a tie-breaker.

* The ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' supplement ''Aurora's Whole Realms Catalog'' references this trope, suggesting that bowmen purchase the mail-order dealership's line of archery targets so that even dead shots can learn to do this.

* Parodied in a ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' sketch where Robin Hood does this to the Sheriff of Nottingham's arrow and the Sheriff argues that this shouldn't mean [[GoldenSnitch an automatic win]]. (In its use in ''Ivanhoe'' it actually just means a tie; hitting a tiny target from a range is the real tiebreaker which Robin Hood wins.)

* The opening credits of ''WesternAnimation/RobinHoodDaffy'' have an arrow flying into the center of a target, followed by a series of arrows each flying into the end of the one before it. The camera pulls back to reveal that Daffy is shooting each arrow from less than an inch away.