Scarborough Fair is the name of Bayonetta's signature & one of her favourite weapons from the first game. A set of four large-caliber handguns that act as her default weapons of choice, they are the only weapons that don't need to be unlocked by collecting Golden LPs, through clearing certain difficulties, or by completing a certain task. They are an all-around weapon and are very popular with both newer and veteran players.
In-Game Description[]
Bayonetta[]
Bayonetta 2[]
Bayonetta 3[]
The durable construction of these weapons makes them able to withstand any amount of power channeled through them during the use of bullet arms, and they are also extremely accurate firearms.
Design[]
According to Muneyuki "Johnny” Kotegawa's blog, who designed and modeled all of the weapons in Bayonetta, he approached the design of Scarborough Fair as well as the game design in general based on three criteria. First that the lead character was female, second that she was a modern witch, and third the guns would have to be fired with both hands and feet. After a spirited debate with co-designers Mari Shimazaki (a.k.a. Shimako) and Hideki Kamiya they decided on a color balance based around pitch-black clothing, white skin, gold ornamentations, and the red ribbon accent. It was then that it was decided that the guns in her hand should be red which would not only compliment her color scheme but also allow the player to keep better track of her limbs during the fast-paced action combat.
With all that in mind, Kotegawa developed several weapon designs based on real-world guns so that the end product no matter how fantastic would still remain convincing. After working on various designs, co-designer Kamiya showed a preference to the gun based on the Derringer. Kotegawa had believed that Kamiya selected the Derringer because it was a gun capable of rapid-fire, simple, and rugged, however when he asked his co-designer about the selection the answer was "This design would look hot in a girl's hand." The name "Scarborough Fair" is a reference to an old English ballad that focuses on four herbs; Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme. The herbs became the names of each individual pistol with the idea that witches and herbs are closely linked.
Accordingly, Bayonetta's guns each have their name on them, with a complimentary saying. On each gun it says "Scarborough Fair, Made by Rodin" and under that, the name of the gun. In her right hand, green jeweled is Parsley, which says "Parsley, ever joyous". In her left hand, red jeweled, is Sage, saying "Sage, ever strong". Her right foot has Rosemary, blue jeweled, saying "Rosemary, ever reminiscent", and her left foot has Thyme, white jeweled, saying "Thyme, ever courageous". All of which are under Rodin's Copyright.
How to Obtain[]
Bayonetta[]
Bayonetta acquires Scarborough Fair by default after completing the Prologue.
Bayonetta 2[]
Bayonetta can acquire Scarborough Fair by beating the game on 2nd Climax Difficulty and purchasing the Super Mirror, which contains specific outfits and weapons from the first game.
Bayonetta 3[]
Scarborough Fair can be purchased at The Gates of Hell for 16999 when a save file for the first game is present on the system.
Unique Traits[]
Bayonetta[]
As the basis for Bayonetta's combat during the initial conception stages, Scarborough Fair acts as both a melee and long-range weapon. Using Dodge Offset will cause the guns to fire numerous rounds as Bayonetta flips out of harm's way.
All bullets fired by Scarborough Fair will ricochet off surfaces at least once and attempt to hit nearby enemies. When compared to other weapons available in the game, their damage is a bit low, but their flexibility of being efficient in melee and ranged combat make them quite valuable throughout the game's duration.
Bullet Climax: Bayonetta will stand motionless and take aim whilst firing off numerous rounds, the player being able to manually aim at various enemies on the screen around her.
Charge Modifier: Holding down the corresponding attack button will cause Bayonetta to fire off five shots before transitioning into her next attack. This allows the Scarborough Fair to accumulate combo points easily on smaller or slower Angels, or deal damage at safe distance from more dangerous enemies.
Notable Combos: Due to Scarborough Fair sharing its move-set with many weapons in Bayonetta 1, these combos can be executed with most of them, though there are some exceptions.
Is the fastest way to execute a hard-hitting Wicked Weave without expending Magic Power. It is effective against virtually all enemies and all bosses.
and are the two most consistent launchers in the game, as they end in a launching Wicked Weave that will send most enemies into the air, where they are less aggressive. Jump Canceling the last as the Wicked Weave is summoned and immediately executing an After Burner Kick is a dependable way to extend combo chains and isolate enemies.
Bayonetta 2[]
Scarborough Fair acts in the same way as its incarnation in the first game, giving Bayonetta her move-set from the original game, although it has been tweaked to include particular finishing animations from Love Is Blue.
Bullet Climax: Functioning identically to Love is Blue's Bullet Climax, Bayonetta stands motionless and takes aim at nearby enemies with powerful shots from either hands or feet. Unlike in the first game, Bayonetta will automatically fire at any surrounding enemies. If Bayonetta has available Magic power, the bullets will be charged up, and the Bullet Climax can be extended until her Magic runs out.
Charge Modifier: Like in the previous game, holding down the corresponding attack button will cause Bayonetta to fire off several shots before transitioning into her next attack. These bullets do significantly less damage to larger enemies and bosses, with most bosses outright blocking them.
Wicked Weaves & Umbran Climax: Like Love is Blue, Scarborough Fair is capable of summoning a wide range of Infernal Demons to act as combo finishers, all dependent on the particular combo being performed. The primary difference between the two is Scarborough Fair's ability to chain multiple Infernal Demon attacks together due to is using combos from Bayonetta, which may or may not have been designed with Umbran Climax in mind. The prime example is -Activate Umbran Climax-, Jump or Dodge cancel the kick animation, and immediately execute . This combination of attacks can summon Madama Butterfly, Hydra, and Labolas in a single Umbran Climax, a feat that no other weapon is capable of performing.
Comparison to Love is Blue: In a direct comparison, Scarborough Fair performs better in almost every regard due to it having a less "flashy" move-set and consistently higher damage, both in and out of Umbran Climax. This gives it an advantage on higher difficulties and especially against humanoid bosses like Masked Lumen. The combo, in particular, is much faster and deals more damage than the new version that Love is Blue has. In addition to this, many of Scarborough Fair's dependable combos from the first game have been made faster and more fluid.
However, due to Bayonetta 2's Feet move-sets generally being much better than the ones present in Bayonetta, Scarborough Fair still lacks a diverse move-set when equipped to the feet slot. This can be resolved through a number of ways, such as equipping Love is Blue, to the Feet, bringing the strengths of both weapons to bare.
Bayonetta 3[]
Scarborough Fair returns with the tweaked animations and moveset from their incarnation in the second game. Like with all of the other weapons in the game, all of their special moves such as Tetsuzanko need to be unlocked using Orbs in the Skills menu.
Skills[]
Demon Masquerade[]
- Panther Within (+ x2)
- Transform into a swiftly running panther.
- Crow Within (Hold )
- Transform into a crow for limited flight.
- Umbran Spear (+ x2)
- Transform into a crow and charge forward.
- Machete Wing ( or during Crow Within)
- Deploy sharp feathers around your body. Press or again to fire the feathers.
Kick[]
- After Burner Kick
- ( soon after ) Launch into the air with a blazing kick.
- (Midair, +) Deliver a blazing dive kick from the air. Hold to keep going after impact.
- Full Moon Shoot (Hold , +)
- Perform a backflip that launches enemies. Hold to shoot while continuing to spin.
- Heel Slide (Hold , + or +)
- Slide toward enemies at high speed while attacking. Hold to follow up with a burst of gunfire.
- Heel Stomp (+)
- Deliver a merciless Wicked Weave stomp.
- Heel Tornado (+)
- Deliver multiple spinning kicks while firing your guns. Move with .
Punch[]
- Rising Barrel (Hold , +)
- Launch an enemy with a swift gun butt attack. Hold to follow up with a burst of gunfire.
- Witch Strike ( soon after )
- Launch into the air with a spinning punch.
- Stiletto (Hold , + or +)
- Close in with incredible speed and deliver a devastating thrust attack. Hold to follow up with a burst of gunfire.
- Witch Twist (+)
- Go into a dance-like spin while wildly firing your guns.
- Tetsuzanko (+)
- Deliver a powerful short-range reversed tackle accompanied by a Wicked Weave punch. Hold for a follow up burst of gunfire.
Shoot[]
- Full Auto (Hold or )
- Add a follow-up burst of gunfire to attacks.
- Bullet Climax (+)
- Fire powerful, magic-charged bullets. Change the direction of fire with , and hold to keep shooting.
- Charge Bullet (Hold )
- Charge then release to fire a powerful shot.
Variants[]
Scarborough Fair has appeared in other incarnations within the Bayonetta series.
Elfin Knight[]
Elfin Knight is a set of guns that serve as Bayonetta's initial weapons in the film Bayonetta: Bloody Fate. These guns are based on earlier concept art for Scarborough Fair, with the barrel shape and detail being almost identical. Bayonetta uses these guns until her first encounter with Jeanne where their battle subsequently damages the weapons to the point they crumble to pieces. In her final battle with Jeanne, Bayonetta then receives Scarborough Fair from Rodin as a replacement for the destroyed Knight.
Whittingham Fair[]
Whittingham Fair are a set of guns that are a variant of Scarborough Fair and are the weapons of choice for Bayonetta β0 in Bayonetta 3. They are identical in appearance to the original Scarborough Fair in almost every aspect, but their handles are coloured white instead of black and feature different engravings to reflect their name.
Gallery[]
Bayonetta[]
Bayonetta: Bloody Fate[]
Trivia[]
- The Scarborough Fair guns get their name from the traditional British ballad "Scarborough Fair".
- The Elfin Knight variant's name is derived from an obscure, traditional Scottish folk ballad which shares similar lyrics to those of "Scarborough Fair", fitting with the Elfin Knight's design being an earlier concept of Scarborough Fair.
- The Whittingham Fair variant's name is derived from an alternate name for "Scarborough Fair" from the Northumberland region of Northern England, furthering their relation to belong to an alternate Bayonetta.
- Scarborough Fair canonically appear to be Bayonetta's preferred weapons of choice in combat during the first game as she uses them in every cutscene where fighting takes place.
- In the first game, Scarborough Fair cannot technically be unequipped, as pressing the Button will cause Bayonetta to use one of them to fire at her current target regardless of the weapon currently held in her Hand slot in any given set.
- In the language of flowers, Parsley means festivity, Sage means wisdom and immortality, Thyme means strength and courage, and Rosemary means remembrance. By the end of the game, Bayonetta has all four of these qualities.
- When Luka first appears, he mentions the smell of rosemary in the air, but Bayonetta says that his sense of smell is off as rosemary is a demon repellent. Oddly, one of the Scarborough Fair guns is named after a demon repellent.
- The Umbran symbol can be found in the Scarborough Fair if two of the guns are combined on top of each other.
- The Scarborough Fair is based on the real world Derringer pocket pistol, they are extremely large however in comparison to their real-world equivalent.
- Despite the guns being initially replaced by Elfin Knight at the beginning of Bloody Fate and not received by Bayonetta until much later, promotional artwork for the movie still depicts them in favor of the Elfin variant.
- If Bayonetta wears the Galactic Bounty Hunter costume while equipping these guns on her hands in the Wii U version of the first game, Scarborough Fair's shooting animation will be replaced with Samus Aran's arm cannon, which also fires energy bullets instead of actual bullets.
- The Scarborough Fair appears in Super Smash Bros for Nintendo 3DS & Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, when using Bayonetta's costume from the first game. They still use the move-set based on Love is Blue's attacks, however, and are merely cosmetic.
- Among all the other foreign names, the french name of this weapon ("Arsenal démoniaque", literally meaning Demonic Arsenal) is the only one which makes no reference to the ballad of Scarborough Fair.
- Scarborough Fair is the weapon that appears the most times in the games, media, and non-Bayonetta games, such as Super Smash Bros. and Anarchy Reigns, with a total of 9 appearances if including Bloody Fate, Pachislot and 8-Bit Bayonetta.
- Scarborough Fair is the only weapon to appear in every main game of the series.