History Main / TheStraightAndArrowPath

** Instead of his SniperRifle, the Sniper can use the Huntsman, a bow and arrow. The bow has slightly lower maximum damage, but [[ChargedAttack charges to maximum damage]] much faster than the rifle. It fires in an arc and there's a definite delay between the arrow leaving the bow and landing on the target, so using it successfully involves both skill and luck, or [[WebVideo/SoundSmith lots and lots and lots of corner peeking]]. The "arrows from nowhere" bit is averted, as Mun-Dee can only carry about half as many arrows as he can sniper rifle rounds.
** The Medic can equip the Crusader's Crossbow (with [[HealingShiv healing bolts]]). There's only one shot per clip but its reload is quick and it's very accurate.

* Angewomon of ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' can shoot arrows of light from a bow attached to one of her gloves and first appears in the human world. ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' has [[OurCentaursAreDifferent Pajiramon]], a VillainOfTheWeek who wields a crossbow in a setting where guns can't hurt Digimon. ''Anime/DigimonXrosWars'' has Zamielmon, a bow-wielding SizeShifter elf who [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame hunts other Digimon for his own amusement]] while Revolmon, a living gun, is on the heroes' side and doesn't get to fight very often.

Where to begin? As mentioned above, this is a common trope in comics, though that's really putting it lightly. There's an entire sub-class of heroes known as archers.

* In the 2013 reboot of ''[[VideoGame/TombRaider2013 Tomb Raider]]'', Lara Croft's most iconic weapon in the game is her hunting bow, which begins as a makeshift longbow and ends as a professional sports bow. She has access to a nice assortment of guns as well, but for most of the game the bow is preferable due to its relatively high damage output and the fact that it's completely silent (stealth greatly helps in keeping Lara alive), whereas her other weapons make quite some noise.
** In [[VideoGame/RiseOfTheTombRaider the sequel]], centuries-old ancient bows beat out modern compound bows. While they do the least damage out of the three types of bows available, they also fire the fastest, and since one headshot from any weapon will OneHitKill any human enemy (unless they're wearing a helmet, then it takes one to knock the helmet off and a second one to kill), the damage stat of weapons is largely useless, making the ancient bows the clear winner out of the three (with compund bows being powerful but slow and recurve bows being the JackOfAllStats option). While some guns now have silencers making them suitable for stealth, bows still win out since arrows can be crafted on the fly ([[ViewersAreGoldfish and the game makes damn sure you don't forget how to do it]]), but bullets must be found in ammo boxes or looted from enemies. Lara can also unlock a perk that causes bows to automatically lock on to up to three enemies' heads (again, headshots are always one-hit kills). There's really no reason to use anything but a bow once you get that.

* ''VideoGame/SevenDaysToDie'' has three archery weapons: the wooden bow, the crossbow, and the compound bow. All three operate in total silence, not alerting nearby zombies and being hard to hear by players, and do decent-to-devastating damage per shot depending on what ammo you load them with. The wooden bow is the first ranged weapon you're likely to get for yourself (the tutorial missions tell you how to craft it) and it's piss-easy to craft, but isn't particularly powerful even with high-tier ammunition; the crossbow uses a different ammo type (bolts instead of arrows) and requires a schematic to be made, but it's easier to handle, has way more stopping power and can be loaded with explosive ammunition; and finally, the compound bow, the late-game option, is divided in parts like all firearms (finding an assembled one is rare), needs the schematic to be put together and can only be fixed up with repair kits, but at the same time it is the most potent of the three[[note]]a faulty compound bow actually surpasses a poor wooden bow in most stats by a slight margin[[/note]] and the easiest to aim, as it has an actual sight and the arrows come out of the middle of the screen.

* Modern crossbows are gaining some currency among police and special forces for a number of reasons.

** They have more nonlethal [[TrickArrow ammo options]].

** The high weight and low velocity of the arrows make them less likely to ricochet than bullets, and also manages to play BulletproofHumanShield straight all the time, unlike bullets (especially rifle bullets) which always have a chance of shooting through the intended target: not a good thing when there are innocent civilians present in the area.

The appeal of early firearms was that they were more powerful than bows or crossbows, and just about anyone could be taught to use one. They could also pull double-duty as mêlée weapons through [[PistolWhipping swinging tue weapon itself]] or [[BayonetYa using a bayonet]]. The arquebus was good enough to replace the crossbow in Western European warfare by the 16th century, since it filled the same role and did it better. However, the bow could still shoot faster than these single-shot muzzle-loaders, and the English didn't give up on keeping archers as well as arquebusiers until it was clear there weren't enough skilled archers left in the country. Warriors in Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe would often use the bow and musket together for their different advantages. Even in the early 19th century, white settlers on the American Great Plains were at a disadvantage against [[HorseArcher mounted, bow-using]] Natives such as the Commanches who could out-pace their single-shot pistols and rifles. Ironically, the fact that Europeans had decided that ArmorIsUseless against massed firearms and therefore gotten rid of it left them more vulnerable to arrows, which would have been stopped by plate armor. Samuel Colt's revolver turned the tide in favor of guns by being the first commercially produced firearm to really challenge the bow's shooting rate, and the subsequent spread of breech-loading and repeating rifles rendered the bow outclassed.

* As does Hawkeye in ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersUnitedTheyStand'', ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'', and ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble'', as well as in ''WesternAnimation/IronManArmoredAdventures'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Ultimate Spider-Man}}''. And Francis Barton, his son, in ''WesternAnimation/NextAvengersHeroesOfTomorrow''.

The appeal of early firearms was that they were more powerful than bows or crossbows, and just about anyone could be taught to use one. They could also pull double-duty as mêlée weapons through PistolWhipping and BayonetYa. The arquebus was good enough to replace the crossbow in Western European warfare by the 16th century, since it filled the same role and did it better. However, the bow could still shoot faster than these single-shot muzzle-loaders, and the English didn't give up on keeping archers as well as arquebusiers until it was clear there weren't enough skilled archers left in the country. Warriors in Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe would often use the bow and musket together for their different advantages. Even in the early 19th century, white settlers on the American Great Plains were at a disadvantage against [[HorseArcher mounted, bow-using]] Natives such as the Commanches who could out-pace their single-shot pistols and rifles. Ironically, the fact that Europeans had decided that ArmorIsUseless against massed firearms and therefore gotten rid of it left them more vulnerable to arrows, which would have been stopped by plate armor. Samuel Colt's revolver turned the tide in favor of guns by being the first commercially produced firearm to really challenge the bow's shooting rate, and the subsequent spread of breech-loading and repeating rifles rendered the bow outclassed.

The appeal of early firearms was that they were more powerful than bows or crossbows and just about anyone could be taught to use one. The arquebus was good enough to replace the crossbow in Western European warfare by the 16th century, since it filled the same role and did it better. However, the bow could still shoot faster than these single-shot muzzle-loaders, and the English didn't give up on keeping archers as well as arquebusiers until it was clear there weren't enough skilled archers left in the country. Warriors in Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe would often use the bow and musket together for their different advantages. Even in the early 19th century, white settlers on the American Great Plains were at a disadvantage against [[HorseArcher mounted, bow-using]] Natives such as the Commanches who could out-pace their single-shot pistols and rifles. Ironically, the fact that Europeans had decided that ArmorIsUseless against massed firearms and therefore gotten rid of it left them more vulnerable to arrows, which would have been stopped by plate armor. Samuel Colt's revolver turned the tide in favor of guns by being the first commercially produced firearm to really challenge the bow's shooting rate, and the subsequent spread of breech-loading and repeating rifles rendered the bow outclassed.

* Oliver Queen, The Hood, in ''Series/{{Arrow}}''. He justifies it later, explaining that the bow represents self-control, over the chaotic nature of a gun, though the ''real'' reason he uses a bow is that's the weapon he learned to use while trapped on an island for five years. Because of his signature color and MO, this is combined to make people believe he's a modern-day Robin Hood.
* And before ''Arrow'', ''Series/{{Smallville}}'s'' Ollie didn't shy away from his trademark bow. As his live-action debut and as it was going for a more fancy, Batman-esque take on him, instead of his usual longbows, Green Arrow makes use of Compound Bows (which have the advantage of being easier to fire with) and handheld crossbows, which includes such features as grappling gun mechanisms for him to get about. He tends to use the bow for surprise attacks, stronger threats, or for non-attacking purposes, and use the crossbow when shooting at people, due to the fact he can use non-lethal boltheads with this one that the bow won't allow.

** Turned UpToEleven in [[VideoGame/RiseOfTheTombRaider the sequel]], where centuries-old ancient bows beat out modern compound bows. While they do the least damage out of the three types of bows available, they also fire the fastest, and since one headshot from any weapon will OneHitKill any human enemy (unless they're wearing a helmet, then it takes one to knock the helmet off and a second one to kill), the damage stat of weapons is largely useless, making the ancient bows the clear winner out of the three (with compund bows being powerful but slow and recurve bows being the JackOfAllStats option). While some guns now have silencers making them suitable for stealth, bows still win out since arrows can be crafted on the fly ([[ViewersAreGoldfish and the game makes damn sure you don't forget how to do it]]), but bullets must be found in ammo boxes or looted from enemies. Lara can also unlock a perk that causes bows to automatically lock on to up to three enemies' heads (again, headshots are always one-hit kills). There's really no reason to use anything but a bow once you get that.

** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'': Ada has a crossbow as a starting weapon.

** Turned UpToEleven in [[VideoGame/RiseOfTheTombRaider the sequel]], where centuries-old ancient bows beat out modern compound bows. Although the modern bows do huge amounts of damage per shot, this is functionally useless since one headshot with ''any'' weapon is a OneHitKill on human enemies (unless they are wearing a helmet, then the first headshot will knock the helmet off and a second one will kill them). The ancient bows can be drawn and fired far more quickly, making them preferable. While some guns in this game now have silencers making them suitable for stealth, bows still win out since arrows can be crafted on the fly, but bullets must be found in ammo boxes or looted from enemies.

** Instead of his SniperRifle, the Sniper can use the Huntsman, a bow and arrow. The bow has slightly lower maximum damage, but [[ChargedAttack charges to maximum damage]] much faster than the rifle. It fires in an arc and there's a definite delay between the arrow leaving the bow and landing on the target, so using it successfully involves both skill and luck, or [[Creator/SoundSmith lots and lots and lots of corner peeking]]. The "arrows from nowhere" bit is averted, as Mun-Dee can only carry about half as many arrows as he can sniper rifle rounds.

* Border Reavers in Early Modern Britain would often use latchet crossbows instead of pistols because they produced no bang or flash during night raids, and they were less susceptible to misfire in the damp climate, which was a major problem before the invention of caplock ignition. The latchet or lever mechanism enabled the bow to be cocked on horseback fairly quickly, and a top trigger actuated by the thumb allowed the rider to shoot it one-handed while keeping control of the reins. They weren’t very powerful but they didn’t need to be.

In some modern-day settings, the normal human members of either side will use guns, and often with [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy less than stellar accuracy]], regardless of allegiance. Combined with the idea that guns are easy point-and-click weapons, how do you set apart your ranged combat hero with no cool-looking superpowers? Why, give them a bow and arrow, of course! Not only will it prove that they're a much better shot than everyone else, but are cool under pressure as well. Crossbows can fit this trope as well, though they're not ''quite'' as cool.

The appeal of early firearms was that they were more powerful than bows or crossbows and just about anyone could be taught to use one. The arquebus was good enough to replace the crossbow in Western European warfare by the 16th century, since it filled the same role and did it better. However, the bow could still shoot faster than these single-shot muzzle-loaders, and the English didn't give up on keeping archers as well as arquebusiers until it was clear there weren't enough skilled archers left in the country. Warriors in Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe would often use the bow and musket together for their different advantages. Even in the early 19th century, white settlers on the American Great Plains were at a disadvantage against [[HorseArcher mounted, bow-using]] Indians such as the Commanches who could out-pace their single-shot pistols and rifles. Ironically, the fact that Europeans had decided that ArmorIsUseless against massed firearms and therefore gotten rid of it left them more vulnerable to arrows, which would have been stopped by plate armor. Samuel Colt's revolver turned the tide in favor of guns by being the first commercially produced firearm to really challenge the bow's shooting rate, and the subsequent spread of breech-loading and repeating rifles rendered the bow outclassed.

* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'':

** ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', introduces Kung Jin who fights with a [[MixAndMatchWeapon bow that doubles as a staff and flamethrower]].

* "[[https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/17/hong-kong-protesters-fire-bows-and-arrows-from-campus-fortress.html Hong Kong Protesters]]" more out of desperation rather than choice, have armed themselves with bows to combat riot police.

* Modern archery is a ''very'' popular pastime in UsefulNotes/SouthKorea, whose team has won 34 medals (19 of them gold) in the event at the Olympics since 1972.

* [[''VideoGame/KillerInstinct'' Killer Instinct (2013)]] has Black Eagle, the brother of Chief Thunder, who fights with a bow and arrow.