Mirror Shield

The Mirror Shield is a powerful shield that generally allows Link powerful beams of energy or magic and to reflect light from one place to another.

A Link to the Past
The Mirror Shield is the third level shield and is found in Turtle Rock. It is better than the previous two shields, known for its ability to stop beams, such as those fired by Laser Eyes, and attacks from enemies such as Lynels. It cannot stop the beams of a Beamos, however. It is particularly huge, with only half of Link's body being visible behind it during gameplay. It also cannot be stolen by Pikits, but in the Game Boy Advance version of the game it can be eaten by Like Likes. Because of this, a shop in the Dark World will sell a replacement Mirror Shield if Link loses it in this version of the game.

Link's Awakening
In, the Mirror Shield is found in Eagle's Tower. It is essential for getting to the last dungeon, Turtle Rock, as without it Link cannot pass through the flamethrower trap in a tunnel on the way there.

Ocarina of Time
In, the Mirror Shield is the final shield that Link acquires in his adventure. It is found in the Spirit Temple on a ledge that can only be reached after defeating an Iron Knuckle on the Adult Link portion of the temple. Unlike the Hylian Shield, the Mirror Shield has a polished surface, allowing it to reflect light. This allows Link to solve the light puzzles in the dungeon. Otherwise, the Mirror Shield acts almost the same except for the fact that it destroys the projectiles spat at Link by Octoroks, Deku Scrubs, and Business Scrubs, instead of reflecting them. However, it can somewhat reflect one of Ganondorf's light magic attacks.

The Mirror Shield also plays a part in defeating Twinrova, the boss of the Spirit Temple. When Koume and Kotake are separate, the Mirror Shield can be used to reflect - and in turn, direct to the other sister - the fire or ice beam that a sister will fire at Link. When in their combined form, the Mirror Shield can absorb Twinrova's energy, and after three of the same type of energy is absorbed, a beam of that element is fired which can stun Twinrova temporarily for a quick few slashes.

The original appearance of the Mirror Shield was a star and a moon resembling the Islamic symbol, but this was changed in later releases to the Gerudo Symbol because of this resemblance.

Comparison of the two different versions of the Mirror Shield

Majora's Mask
The Mirror Shield also appears in Majora's Mask, this time depicted as a decagonal shield with a picture of an "unhappy face" upon it. This time, it is found Beneath the Well after bargaining with several Gibdo. Again, it can reflect light, is vital for getting through Ikana Castle and solving the few light puzzles in Stone Tower Temple. Light directed from the Mirror Shield also has the ability to instantly defeat undead enemies such as Floormasters and ReDeads. Like the previous Mirror Shield, it cannot deflect certain projectiles; however, unlike the previous game, it permanently replaces the other shield. Fortunately, it is more versatile than its old incarnation.

A mask in the shape of this incarnation of the Mirror Shield appears on the Happy Mask Salesman's backpack.

In the The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition version of Majora's Mask, the Mirror Shield causes a slight graphical error. When reflecting light, a green and black stripe slowly slides across the light-ray every second or so. This is probably a result of incorrect emulation.

Oracle series
The Mirror Shield also appears in and  as the Level 3 shield upgrade. It has a blue sprite and can only be obtained on a Linked Game, via upgrading the shield through gameplay and using a password to upgrade it as well. These upgrades can be performed in either order, and it creates a "pair" with the Master Sword from these games. As in Ocarina of Time, the Mirror Shield can block Twinrova's energy attacks, although it cannot reflect them, nor can it reflect anything else the other shields cannot. It is simply able to block things that the Iron Shield cannot.

Rather unusually, unlike its other appearances, in the Oracle Series the Mirror Shield can be destroyed. Like Likes eat it just like any other shield. However, once the shield has been upgraded to an Iron or Mirror Shield, shops begin selling the current shield upgrade instead of the Wooden Shield, so it is not permanently lost if a Like Like eats it.

The Wind Waker
The Mirror Shield again appears in the game, this time in the fifth dungeon, the Earth Temple. It is obtained by defeating three Stalfos, the minibosses of the dungeon. It is the second - and final - shield of this game and automatically replaces the Hero's Shield once obtained.

Like in previous games, it is required to solve light puzzles, but occasionally, it must be paired with another light beam to successfully solve a puzzle, usually by utilizing Medli's harp as it acts much, if not the same, as the Mirror Shield does regarding light.

Light that bounces off the Mirror Shield can also paralyze certain enemies in this game such as ReDeads, is the only way to solidify Poes, and allows Dark ChuChus to be turned to stone, unless these enemies walk under a light beam.

The Mirror Shield can cause certain stone statues to break and reflect light along a large network of mirrors, as seen in the Earth Temple. The ability to break stone statues is needed to carry on past Floor 31 of the Savage Labyrinth. Lastly, it proves invaluable in the final battle, during which Link uses it to reflect Zelda's Light Arrows onto Ganondorf when he begins to dodge them, allowing the hero an opportunity to land the finishing blow.

The Minish Cap
After finishing The Minish Cap, Link can find Biggoron and let him eat his shield. If Link returns later, Biggoron will give him the Mirror Shield as compensation. It allows Link to turn any projectile attacks into beams that shoot back at the enemy. The beam does not fire when hitting an enemy physically, thus acting as a standard shield. The design is the same as the Mirror Shield from The Wind Waker.

Soulcalibur II
The Mirror Shield from Ocarina of Time is one of Link's shields available in Soulcalibur II. Paired off with the Master Sword, the Mirror Shield can be bought in the Pollux Shop, Rigel Shop or the Aldebaran Shop for 2200 Gold while playing the Weapon Master Mode. Although Link's offense and defense stays the same when he equips this shield, all of the hits the young hero takes are counters, and 33% of damage received is inflicted back to the opponent.

Trivia

 * The Japanese Nintendo 64 release of Majora's Mask has another Mirror Shield in the game's programming as an unused item - in fact, the select icon was finished and it is interestingly identical to what would later be the revised Mirror Shield of Ocarina of Time, predating the GameCube edition. However, the use of this item crashes the game.
 * In The Wind Waker, the Mirror Shield mysteriously vanishes from Link's back during the cutscene after the final battle, despite the fact that it is present following the end credits when he departs from Outset Island.
 * The text in The Minish Cap's game cartridge implies that it was originally sold in a store, presumably Stockwell's, for 350 rupees.
 * The Mirror Shield may be a direct reference to the Mirror Shield of the Kid Icarus series, used by Pit to defend against Medusa's eye beams. The Mirror Shield is first used in the Zelda series to defend against Laser Eyes. The Mirror Shield in both series is likely a reference to the Greek myth of Perseus, where he used a shield to reflect the image of Medusa so he can avoid her gaze. The Kid Icarus series also includes Light Arrows, both items predating their appearance in Zelda games.
 * The Mirror Shield also appears in For The Frog The Bell Tolls. Link's Awakening borrows much from this game, including the game's engine and the cameo appearance of Richard. In this game, the shield is used to reflect a mammoth boss' image, causing it to hesitate and leave itself open to attack. The Mirror Shield is found in the Ice Cavern and is the strongest shield in the game. [[File:For The Frog The Bell Tolls - Mirror Shield.png]]