Anyone with a functioning arm and hand can point a gun and pull a trigger, but being able to quickly, consistently, and accurately fire an arrow from a bow is something that takes years to master. The first confirmed documentation of archery dates back to the Ancient Egyptians in 3000 BC, but it was likely used thousands of years before that for hunting and warfare in the Stone Age.

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Archery technology is significantly more advanced today, but proper form and technique have changed little, giving archery a timelessly primal quality. Archery is undeniably aesthetically pleasing, which is why film and television have seen no shortage of notorious archers, and today we're recognizing the ten best. Sorry crossbow fans, but no trigger-based weapons will be included here.

Paris - Troy (2004)

Does Paris (Orlando Bloom) have any honor? Not really. His affair with Helen of Troy (Diane Kruger) was a major cause of the Trojan War, the focus of Troy. Is Paris a particularly skilled warrior? Nope. When Helen's husband (Brendan Gleeson) challenges Paris to a duel, Paris gets his butt kicked until he cowers behind his older brother (Eric Bana).

So what earns Paris a spot on this list? He kills Achilles (Brad Pitt), the world's deadliest warrior, by sharpshooting an arrow through his namesake body part. That buys him a lot of street cred.

Abigail Whistler - Blade: Trinity (2004)

Abigail Whistler with bow and arrow in Blade Trinity

In the third installment of the Blade franchise, audiences are introduced to Abigail (Jessica Biel), the daughter of the man who trained Blade (Wesley Snipes). Abigail works with Hannibal King (Ryan Reynolds) to free the captured Blade, who joins their team of vampire hunters - the "Nightstalkers."

Abigail uses a variety of awesome weapons and gadgets to kill vampires, but none cooler or more iconic than her compound bow, which plays a key role in the story's climax. She can also shoot around corners, fire arrows at 315 mph, and was so accurate that she accidentally shot a camera lens out while filming (credit to Biel, not Abigail).

Princess Merida - Brave (2012)

When the Scottish Princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald) is gifted a recurve bow by her father (Billy Connolly) for her sixth birthday, it's not long before it gets her and her family into trouble with a dangerous demonic bear. Ten years later, Merida has become the best archer in Scotland, which she proves definitively by wiping the floor with her competition at the Highland Games.

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Merida's performance causes huge strife between her and her mother (Emma Thompson), which has disastrous consequences, but Merida overcomes her hardships through her intelligence, bravery, and perseverance, the same qualities that make her a great archer and role model in Disney's Brave.

Ygritte - Game Of Thrones

Rose Leslie as Ygritte aiming bow and arrow at Jon Snow in Game of Thrones

Supposedly, Ygritte (Rose Leslie) is a less-talented archer than Anguy the Archer (Philip McGinley), but when judging who has the most impressive on-screen archery display in the Game of Thrones television series, Ygritte holds the title.

When Ygritte must shoot Jon Snow (Kit Harington), the man she loves, she first holds her massive war bow at full draw for over a minute - requiring superhuman strength - she then shoots Jon three times intentionally non-fatally. Accurately firing an arrow is something that requires copious amounts of concentration and focus, and Ygritte essentially performs surgery with her bow while fighting the distraction of her heart being shattered.

Hawkeye - The Avengers Franchise

Hawkeye strings three arrows into his boy in The Avengers

Audiences are briefly introduced to Clinton Barton AKA Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) in Thor (2011) before he becomes a key player in The Avengers (2012) and several subsequent installments to the franchise.

While lacking the true superpowers that several of his fellow Avengers possess, Hawkeye is reportedly the world's greatest marksman. Sometimes hitting targets while talking smack and not even looking, Hawkeye justifies his place among superheroes with his ability to seemingly never miss. His most impressive shot comes when he fires an explosive arrow from one flying aircraft onto another, correctly accounting for massive wind and motion variables.

Katniss Everdeen - The Hunger Games Franchise

Katniss shooting an arrow with flames in the background from The Hunger Games

Taught to hunt illegally from a young age by her father, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) not only has the courage to volunteer for the deadly Hunger Games, but she also has the strength and skill to survive them twice.

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Everdeen's weapon of choice is her trusty recurve bow. She catches the attention of the judges when she shoots an apple from a pig's mouth in the notorious scoring scene in The Hunger Games (2012), but her most impressive shot comes when she shoots down the entire Hunger Games arena roof while facing down a lightning bolt without flinching in Catching Fire (2013).

Oliver Queen - Arrow (2012-2020)

Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen the Green Arrow on the CW's Arrow

Presumed dead and lost at sea, Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) spent five years surviving the deadly island of Lian Yu and completing dangerous covert missions in China and Russia, all the while honing his archery and combat skills to master levels.

When he finally returned home to his remaining family, he donned a mask and green hood and became the vigilante protector of Starling City known as The Green Arrow. Known for taking down armies of armed enemies, Queen's archery prowess is on display every episode, but his most heroic quality might be his leadership, demonstrated by his recruiting and mentoring of Team Arrow throughout Arrow.

John Rambo - Rambo Franchise

Sylvester Stallone in Rambo First Blood II

One of the most notorious killers in movie history, Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) boasts over 500 on-screen kills across his five-movie franchise, many of which come by way of his bow and explosive-tipped arrows.

The most impressive aspect of Rambo's archery skills is the litany of factors that increase the difficulty of his shots. He shoots men's hearts under the darkness of night, snipes several more hearts in the pouring rain, and more still in a pitch-black cave. A particularly impressive kill comes when he springs up out of a river and instantly strikes his target, meaning there's no way he could've possibly been aiming.

Robin Hood- Several Iterations

This list may not exist without the legend of Robin Hood. He hits Merida's arrow-splitting shot several times. Russell Crowe strikes the head of a target fleeing on horseback hundreds of yards away in the 2010 adaptation. Disney's 1973 version sees Robin shoot an arrow high in the air, then redirects it into a bullseye with a second shot. The latest adaptation shows Taron Egerton shooting almost 20 arrows in the trailer alone.

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Robin's most impressive shot comes from Cary Elwes in Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) though, when Robin becomes the first archer in movie history to fire six shots simultaneously, pinning an enemy to a tree in six different places.

Legolas - The Lord Of The Rings Franchise

Orlando Bloom makes up for Paris's cowardice as Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. While everyone else on this list is human, Legolas is an elf, meaning he's had thousands of years to practice shooting with his superhuman strength and senses.

Without the aid of any modern archery technology, Legolas single-handedly takes down an Oliphaunt (a massive Middle-Earth war-mammoth), snipes several orcs while shield-surfing down a flight of stairs in perhaps the coolest maneuver of the series, and runs away with the Fellowship's kill count competition with 177. If you're going on a deadly mission, you'll want his bow.

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