Being a simple net used for sword-like combat in Soulcalibur II, the Bug-Catching Net is unsurprisingly Link's weakest weapon in his arsenal. Its offensive and defensive capabilities are poor - dropping by 20%; 80% of his normal stats. However, this is standard for each of the characters' Joke Weapons. It is one of the three weapons for Link that is not a sword, others being the Cane of Byrna and Megaton Hammer, and is not an actual weapon in any way. When hitting an opponent with the Bug-Catching Net, it makes a "cluck!" sound.
A hidden benefit to the player of equipping the Bug-Catching Net, like with every other Joke Weapons in the game, is that it makes the CPU become less aggressive, as hinted by the in-game profile saying that opponents may drop their guard due to its unintimidating appearance.
Weapon Gallery Profile[]
A long-handled net used for catching bugs. This item is an old companion of Link's and has appeared on many of his adventures - it accompanies him on this adventure as well. Obviously, it is not a weapon, but perhaps it will cause opponents to let down their guard.
The Legend of Zelda series[]
The Bug-Catching Net debuted in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, where Link borrows it early in the game from a young bugcatcher who unfortunately had caught a cold in the town of Kakariko Village, thanks to an evil air coming off from Death Mountain, foreshadowing the Dark World. It is used to catch Fairies and Bees within the land of Hyrule to put in empty Bottles for safekeeping. Despite the in-game description in Soulcalibur II saying the net was used in "many adventures", the item actually only had three appearances in the Zelda series so far. In The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, it is called Bug Net and Net, respectively, sharing similar principles. Both games released after Soul Calibur II.
Interestingly, the Bug-Catching Net can be used as a weapon A Link to the Past, most notably to deflect the magic blasts thrown by the boss Agahnim in a slow 360 degree spin, similar to the Spin Attack. Its other appearances in Skyward Sword and A Link Between Worlds also have it being used to distract and deflect attacks by Demise and Yuga Ganon, respectively, during their final boss battles. Coincidentally, each of the games have the Bug-Catching Net used as a weapon against an incarnation of Ganon himself.
In its more recent appearances, the Bug-Catching Net can be upgraded into a larger net called the Big Bug Net or Super Net to become more effective at catching objects. In the latter, it can actually be used to damage enemies, in a similar manner seen in Soulcalibur II.
