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Bolas are a type of weapon used to incapacitate its victim.

History[]

The Hairy Hooligans used them in dragon raids back when they were enemies with dragons. In fact, it was a bola that Hiccup used to shoot down Toothless by use of his bola launcher invention which he called The Mangler.

Gobber used bolas on Hookfang, who was raging out of control through the village in "Viking for Hire".

They used them on dragons again in the Riders of Berk episode, "When Lightning Strikes" when Mildew and a few other Vikings were hunting Toothless when they believed that he was responsible for Thor's anger and making him strike lightning on Berk.

The Hooligans also use bolas as weapons against other people, as seen in "Alvin and the Outcasts". With few weapons left after the destruction of the Armory, the villagers take to the forests when Alvin invades Berk. A Hooligan woman expertly wields a bola and captures an Outcast soldier.

The Outcasts also use bolas to trip Heather's adoptive father in "Heather Report, Part 2" to distract Astrid from grabbing the Dragon Manual.

In "Dragon Flower", when Hiccup went on his mission to retrieve Scauldron venom as a cure for Blue Oleander, the Vikings used bolas to try and capture a Scauldron.

In "We Are Family, Part 1", the Outcasts used them to capture Toothless before another one grabbed Hiccup. They were later used in "We Are Family, Part 2", when Alvin got Hiccup and Toothless to fly at him, while his men threw bolas to capture them.

When Hiccup made his shield, he included a bola launcher in the very center of it. He would later use it many times to incapacitate dragons to give him more time to make his next move.

They are also used by the Berserker Tribe. In "The Night and the Fury", Dagur the Deranged, angered after learning that Hiccup and his father lied to him, used one to entangle Toothless in order to kill him, but Hiccup freed him and defeated Dagur.

The Dragon Flyers use one in "Chain of Command" when Krogan uses it to knock Hiccup off Toothless in order to capture them both.

The Dragon Hunters made use of the weapon frequently, and even had bolas launchers mounted on their ships. Dragon Hunters used bolas to capture Fishlegs at Viggo's auction in "Last Auction Heroes" and also during "Triple Cross" when Viggo used it to stop Toothless from firing at him.

In the “Guardians of Vanaheim”, Astrid and Hiccup lure the Flyers into the storm and then throw bolas at them. The lightning is attracted to the metal on them, electrocuting the Flyers and freeing their Singetails.

Hiccup later used his shield in "King of Dragons, Part 2" to launch bolas at Krogan when he saw both him an Johann charging at him. Krogan manage to untangle himself and threw the bolas at Hiccup, but he missed and it caused the Bewilderbeast egg to roll off the cliff.

When not being used as a weapon, they can be disassembled, and the ropes can be used for other purposes, so bolas have proven to be a handy object to carry.

Appearance[]

Bolas are three ropes that meet in the center with small rocks or metal balls on each end.

Abilities[]

  • Binding: Bolas were thrown by the point where the ropes meet. They are able to wrap around the victim and sometimes immobilize them. In one case, Hiccup invented "The Mangler", to shoot bolas at dragons during raids. He successfully shot down Toothless and in the crash landing it tore off his tail fin.

Weaknesses[]

  • Easily severed: The rope on a bola can easily be cut, as has been seen on numerous occasions. In "Frozen", the Lead Speed Stinger was easily able to cut through his bonds with his claws and tail. We have also seen Hiccup, with little difficulty, saw through the rope with his dagger in the first film.

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