History Main / MasterArcher

* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'': The [[CelestialParagonsAndArchangels empyreal lord]] Cernunnos is an extremely talented archer, having practiced his craft for longer than most mortal civilizations have existed. His ''Perfect Archer'' special ability allows him to use his bow in melee without provoking opportunities for being counterattacked, and he can shoot arrows 500 feet farther than would otherwise be possible with whatever bow he's using.

* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'': While Legolas Greenleaf was noted as a good archer in the books, the films exaggerate this skill of his -- he manages to hit his targets while hanging upside down or surfing down a staircase while on a shield and takes down a fully-armed [[WarElephants oliphaunt]] with only his bow and arrows.

* The ''Literature/{{Dreamers}}'' series by Creator/DavidEddings takes this to its LogicalExtreme with [[TheyCallHimSword Longbow]], an archer who has literally never missed a shot in his life. He began as a simple hunter but wins great renown as a warrior in the international army assembled by the Elder Gods.
* ''Literature/TheDreamsideRoad'' has the Wuyar Archers, who are skilled enough, with fewer than thirty members, to disrupt the Solar Saver Collective, an operation with hundreds of crewmembers and security personnel.
* Lin 'Feixing' (actually, [[SweetPollyOliver his twin sister Wangyue]]) from ''Literature/FemaleGeneralAndEldestPrincess'' first rises to prominence when she successfully masters a two-stone bow -- something that only a few soldiers in the entire Northern Army are strong enough to accomplish. After getting promoted to commander of the archery regiment, she quickly qualifies to ''three''-stone bows (something that only half a dozen people in the entire empire can do), as well as mastering horseback archery. While 'Feixing' is no slouch in any form of combat, her archery is what really puts her on the map -- as well as facilitating her life-changing meeting with Princess Li Xian, who first develops interest in 'Feixing' after [[WorkoutFanservice watching her]] fire a hundred arrows into the practice target.

* In Literature/APracticalGuideToEvil Indrani, fittingly named Archer, is likely the best shot with a bow in the world. She wields a bow made by a legendary craftman that even strong orks cannot draw which fires arrows the size of javelins. She can shot and kill moving opponents from a mile away, and easily fires something like one arrow per second.

* The ''Literature/ChroniclesOfNarnia'' give this role to Queen Susan the Gentle. Aslan explicitly gives her the bow so that she can defend herself from a distance, because he doesn't want her in battle, and she masters it quickly.
* ''Literature/{{Circe}}'': Defied by Odysseus. He's a remarkable bowman and everyone on Ithaca knows it, but he did not bring his archery skills to the table at Troy because the bow was associated by the cowardly Paris, and so it would not have been a good look on Odysseus.
* ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' has a large number of people showing off their archery skills. Perhaps the most famous is Huang Zhong, whose skill is described as "equal to piercing a willow leaf at a hundred paces."
* ''LightNovel/FateApocrypha'': Per the rules of the Franchise/{{Nasuverse}}, a servant summoned under the Archer class must be renowned for their use of a ranged weapon in some way (not necessarily archery). ''Apocrypha'''s Archers are Atalanta and Chiron of Myth/ClassicalMythology, who both demonstrate some impressive archery skills. Chiron in particular nearly manages to snipe the equally-renowned Achilles from a distance so far Achilles couldn't sense him and manages to deflect one of Atalanta's own arrows.
* In ''LightNovel/{{Maoyu}}'', Grandpa Archer is renowned for felling his enemies at lightning speed with a bow and is one of the few people who could remotely keep up with the [[OneManArmy Hero]]. [[spoiler:Subverted when it's revealed that he never actually uses a bow, but the way he stood in the backline and killed his foes that quickly made others ''assume'' he was a master archer.]]
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has Anguy, a member of the Brotherhood Without Banners who, despite being a commoner, outshoots several highly skilled nobles with expensive training during the Hand's Tourney and uses his prodigious skill to help the Brotherhood win several guerilla battles against better armed and more numerous opponents.

* Following on from both the comics and film folders, ''Series/Hawkeye2021'' introduces Clint Barton's successor under the title codename, Kate Bishop, who introduces herself to him as the self-proclaimed "world's greatest archer".

* ''[[VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonFour The Walking Dead: The Final Season]]'' has her being the first Walking Dead protagonist to use a bow and arrow, has Clementine being the first ''Walking Dead'' protagonist to use a bow and arrow. She uses it to defend the school from flaming walkers, and is an essential weapon on the mission to rescue her friends and being down the Delta.

* The Final Season has her being the first Walking Dead protagonist to use a bow and arrow, has Clementine being the first ''Walking Dead'' protagonist to use a bow and arrow. She uses it to defend the school from flaming walkers, and is an essential weapon on the mission to rescue her friends and being down the Delta.

The ranged counterpart to the MasterSwordsman. Compare TheGunslinger, a more modern gun-wielding equivalent who shares ImprobableAimingSkills. Someone using TheStraightAndArrowPath, ie. archery in a setting with modern weapons, almost certainly needs to be a Master Archer to stay up to snuff. It's quite common for some wise guy to compare them to Myth/RobinHood (though for them to really be JustLikeRobinHood, they'd also have to do the whole "rob the rich and give to the poor" bit).

* In Chinese myth,the Earth was being fried by ten suns and Hou Yi the master archer shot down nine of them.[[/folder]]

** Artemis and Apollo, twin gods of the moon and sun, are both depicted as archers par excellence, and sometimes credited as the inventors of the sport. Artemis is also portrayed as a goddess of the hunt, shooting down many beasts at night with her silver arrows.

* ''Literature/TheDreamsideRoad'' has the Wuyar Archers, who are skilled enough with fewer than thirty members to disrupt the Solar Saver Collective, an operation with hundreds of crewmembers and security personnel.

* Shinon from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'', the sniper of the Greil mercenaries, may be the TheFriendNobodyLikes thanks to his bad attitude and arrogance but his allies all begrudgingly admit to his immense skill with a bow. He even takes on an apprentice in the form of teenage archer Rody and is seen making several spectacular shots in various cutscenes.

* ''Manga/Berserk'' has the Apostle [[ArcherArchetype Irvine]] who, even in his human form, can shoot opponents ear drums and eyeballs out from impossibly far distances. This is helped by both his powerful sentient bow and sheer mastery of marksmanship.

* ''Manga/Wolfsmund'' features the eponymous folk hero William Tell, who is a master of the crossbow. His son, Walter, is also no slouch.

* ''Manga/Angolmois'' has many impressive archers, as most of its protagonists are samurai, but commoner Hitari is easily the most skilled and dedicated to the art of archery. He almost exclusively uses a bow as his weapon and pulls off impossible shots over the course of the series.

* ''Anime/Angolmois'' has many impressive archers, as most of its protagonists are samurai, but commoner Hitari is easily the most skilled and dedicated to the art of archery. He almost exclusively uses a bow as his weapon and pulls off impossible shots over the course of the series.