"You got an empty bottle! Use it to store all kinds of things." — In-game description

Bottles (ビン, Bin?), commonly known as Empty Bottles (あきビン, Aki Bin?), are recurring items in the Legend of Zelda series. They are small containers, typically glass with cork or wood stoppers, that may be used to carry useful things such as fairies, potions, and Poes, among a host of other things. In most games, a maximum of four bottles may be carried at one time. Usually, one of the bottles acquired is needed to progress further in a game. The remaining ones are typically optional, but may make the game easier. Interestingly, empty bottles may be used as a weapon in boss battles that involve Dead Man's Volley.

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Appearances

"You, sir! Have you been going through life without one of my hold-anything bottles?" — Bottle Seller (A Link to the Past)

Referred to as Magic Bottles, though they possess no obvious magical properties, there are four in all. Two are found in Kakariko Village: one is purchased from a vendor for the price of 100 Rupees, and the other is found inside a Treasure Chest in the back of the tavern, which can be entered via the back door. Another is given by a camper under the bridge southeast of Hyrule Castle in the Light World.

The last bottle is stored inside a chest found in a ruined house in the Village of Outcasts, situated exactly where the house of the Dwarven Swordsmiths is found in the Light World. If Link brings the chest with him to the Desert of Mystery, the silent Lockpicker will pick the lock on the chest in exchange for Link keeping quiet about him being a former thief.

"Bottles were used to contain more than just milk! Link kept as many bottles as he could find, for not everything he discovered could be kept in his bare hands. " — Nintendo Power Player's Guide description

There are a total of four bottles: one is obtained by aiding Anju in bringing back her Cuccos in Kakariko Village. Another is obtained by completing the Super Cucco-findin' Game, and comes with two helpings of Lon Lon Milk. Another bottle, containing a letter from Princess Ruto, is found by diving into the waters of Lake Hylia; this bottle is required in order to complete the game. When the letter has been delivered to King Zora, Link can keep the now-emptied bottle for regular usage. The fourth and last bottle is obtained by capturing 10 Big Poes in Hyrule Field when Link is an adult; these must be sold to the Ghost Hunter in the Ghost Shop for 100 points on Link's "card" each. Upon receiving 1,000 points on his card, the Ghost Hunter will reward Link with a bottle.

Possibly due to graphical limitations, bottles in Ocarina of Time are depicted as quite angular.

There are six bottles, which is the most featured in any game in the series. The first bottle is obtained from Kotake, and is filled with Red Potion concocted to restore the energy of her sister, Koume; this is the bottle required to progress the game. Another is obtained by successfully defending Romani Ranch from Them; it comes with two helpings of Milk. The third bottle, which contains Gold Dust, is won as a prize for completing the Goron Race. The fourth is found by beating the Beavers' challenge at the Waterfall Rapids. The fifth bottle, which contains Chateau Romani, is given to Link by Madame Aroma, upon successfully delivering Kafei's letter to her personally.

The sixth and final bottle is obtained on the Night of the Final Day; if Link commands the Stalchildren to open the grave, he arrives at an underground chamber, where he encounters Dampé. Having lost his lamp, he requires the light from Tatl to see properly. Link can lead him around the chamber to specific dig spots. If Dampé unearths three spots which cause blue fire to appear, a Big Poe will materialize itself, scaring away Dampé. Upon the Poe's defeat, a chest containing the last bottle appears.

In the Nintendo 3DS remake, a seventh bottle is available, which involves a mini-quest delivering the Mystery Milk to Gorman in time. Also, in the remake, the sixth bottle that is under the grave is replaced by a Piece of Heart, and the bottle is instead acquired by winning it at Old Koume's Boat Cruise.

If Link uses the "Song of Time" to return to the First Day of the three-day cycle, the bottles are emptied of any contents, though the bottles themselves are retained.

There are a total of four bottles: one is given to Link by Medli on Dragon Roost Island; this bottle is required to progress further in the game. Another bottle is found inside a Submarine located off the coast of Bomb Island. The third can be purchased from Beedle's Masked Ship for the price of 500 Rupees. The fourth and final bottle is given to Link by Mila after he catches her stealing from Zunari's safe on Windfall Island.

In the HD remake, a new item replaces the Tingle Tuner, called the Tingle Bottle, that lets Link send messages to other players via Miiverse.

There are a total of four bottles: one is bought from a Business Scrub at Mt. Crenel's Base, and is required to complete the game. Another is obtained by talking to Stockwell behind his counter at the Hyrule Town Shop, at which point he will ask to deliver a bottle of Dog Food to his dog, Fifi. Upon feeding the dog at his house, Link is allowed to keep the bottle. The last two are obtained by fusing Kinstones with Smith, and the six Mysterious Walls found around Hyrule, respectively.

There are a total of four bottles: a half-full bottle of Milk is given to Link by Sera as thanks for safely returning her cat to her. Another bottle, filled with Lantern Oil, can be purchased from Coro. The third may be "caught" by fishing in the area of Hena's Fishing Hole which is filled with waste and garbage. The last bottle, which is filled with Great Fairy's Tears, is obtained by successfully obtaining 20 Poe Souls and returning to Jovani in Hyrule Castle Town.

Empty bottles may be used in the battle against Possessed Zelda in the Throne Room of Hyrule Castle. Her magic can be deflected back at her by using bottles.

In Agitha's Castle, several Bottles (some empty and some filled with unknown substances) appear on various shelves.

A total of five bottles can be found in-game. Luv gives Link the first bottle when he talks to her; after this, Link can find the second in a chest in the Sealed Temple (which contains Revitalizing Potion). The third is obtained from Parrow when his sister, Orielle, is missing (which contains Mushroom Spores). Link can find the remaining two bottles in the Fire Sanctuary and in a Goddess Chest located inside the Thunderhead that requires the Mogma Mitts to obtain.

Bottles can be used to hold potions or fairies. Unlike previous games, time does not freeze when Link drinks a potion, enabling him to move and rendering him vulnerable to enemy attacks. Skyward Sword is also unique among other games in that although possession of a bottle is required at one point (in order to retrieve Sacred Water for the Water Dragon Faron), at no point in the story is Link directly given one by a major character (though technically the one Goddess Chest is a gift from the Goddess Hylia herself, as all Goddess Chests contain items left behind for her chosen hero).

There are 5 bottles to be found in A Link Between Worlds. Two of these are obtained in a nearly identical fashion to A Link to the Past, to which the game is a sequel; namely, the one that can be purchased from the Street Merchant in Kakariko Village for 100 Rupees, and the one given to Link by the Bird Lover hidden Under the Bridge. Another is found in a chest in the Vacant House, the Lorule counterpart to Link's House, by bombing a fragile wall on the back of the house. Another bottle may be gained by donating a total of 3,000 Rupees to the Great Rupee Fairy.

The one that requires the most work is found atop Death Mountain. At the bottom of south-eastern Lake Hylia is a bottle containing a letter from the Bouldering Guy, who is stuck on the mountain. The note admonishes whomever finds it to bring him Premium Milk from Kakariko Village's Milk Bar. After properly navigating a huge lava-filled cavern on Death Mountain, Link is able to access the ledge on which the Bouldering Guy is stuck. After receiving the milk and consuming it, the Bouldering Guy presents Link with the now-empty bottle as his reward.

Non-canonical appearances

Non-canon warning: This article or section contains non-canonical information that is not considered to be an official part of the Legend of Zelda series and should not be considered part of the overall storyline.

Bottles are used to store the various substances Tingle can concoct in his house.

Young Link carries Lon Lon Milk in Bottles and will drink it during one of his taunts.

A Bottle from The Wind Waker can be seen floating in the Great Sea in the background of the Pirate Ship stage.

"A bottle that contains a helpful fairy. You can release this fairy to heal 100 points of damage, but only if you have 100% or more. If you don't, you can still throw the bottle... Just don't hit a 100% or more enemy, or they'll be healed instead and you'll feel pretty silly." — Trophy Description for the 3DS version

The Fairy Bottle appears as a Trophy in the both the 3DS and Wii U version. Like in Brawl a Bottle from The Wind Waker appears floating in the background of the Pirate Ship stage which appears as a DLC stage for the Wii U version.

A Fairy in a Bottle appears under the name Fairy Bottle. The fairy can be released to heal 100 points of damage but only if the fighter has 100% damage or more. Fairy Bottle can also be thrown at an enemy. If the enemy it hits has 100% damage or more it will heal them, however if they do not have 100 points of damage when the Bottle hits they will take damage. As a result, the Fairy Bottle can be used to inflict damage and to heal.

The Empty Bottles appear as three badges (Empty Bottle I, Empty Bottle II, and Empty Bottle III) that can be crafted at the Bazaar's Badge Market. Empty Bottle I allows the warrior it is crafted for the ability to carry and use a single Potion once per battle. Empty Bottle II allows the warrior to use a potion twice per battle and Empty Bottle III allows the to use a potion three times per battle.

Bottles also appear in the basket Agitha carries which she apparently uses to collect and carry bugs. In the Land of Twilight story scenario, she carries a Goddess Butterfly in one of these Bottles, before releasing it to help Lana find her way through the patches of Twilight on Twilight Field.

As part of Link's Great Fairy moveset, humorously the Great Fairy carries Link around in a Bottle (a ironic reference to Link's habit of carrying fairies in bottles) which flies alongside her. During certain combos, the Great Fairy releases Link from the Bottle to either borrow Link's Knight's Sword or play a game of Dead Man's Volley as part of her attacks. She will also hug the Bottle tightly when guarding.

Companion Fairies found in Pots inside enemy keeps, appear inside Bottles. When the bottle is collected, the bottle's cork is removed, the Companion Fairy is released from the bottle, and the "You caught a Companion Fairy!" message appears.