Fans of Final Fantasy love the franchise for its gripping stories, memorable characters, impressive spells, and its fair share of new weapons. Moreover, Final Fantasy games have introduced many novel weapon concepts that made a mark inside and outside the video game industry.
For instance, the Buster Sword in Final Fantasy 7 introduced "protagonists have big swords" to younger generations. Meanwhile, the Gunblade in Final Fantasy 8 and Final Fantasy 13 proved swords and guns can mix. Just which of these two weapons is more iconic?
10 Buster Sword: Straightforward, Simple
Despite the "basic" stats of the Buster Sword, it does prove to be a reliable weapon for Cloud. Its sheer weight and size can deal massive damage with slashes and thrusts. Moreover, its size can help the Buster Sword act as a makeshift shield and even stop attacks (as seen in Crisis Core). Its straightforward approach to combat helps Cloud fight with it much easier, compared to weapons that have complicated techniques and moves.
Unfortunately, weapons enthusiasts have made videos scrutinizing the practicality of the Buster Sword in real life. Given its weight, the Buster Sword proves too heavy for anyone to use. Thankfully, Cloud living in a world populated by super soldiers may give him the necessary physique to wield the weapon as though it's a lightweight weapon.
9 Gunblades: Flexible, Dynamic
When Squall uses the Gunblade, he does the usual slash and thrust. His special techniques allow him to "fire" the Gunblade to give his slashes added force, but this might be difficult to visualize. Thanks to Dissidia, Squall shows players there's more to his combat style than slashes.
Squall's fighting style involves quick slashes and thrust, with the recoil from the Gunblade giving him an additional boost. He can use the Gunblade's recoil to propel himself to different directions. Moreover, the Beat Fang and Solid Barrel techniques allow him to knock back enemies after thrusting them with a round from the Gunblade.
8 Buster Sword: A Rich History
The majority of the main FF7 game implied that Cloud owned or purchased the Buster Sword. However, it's soon revealed that Cloud's friend Zack initially possessed the sword. It's in his passing that he passed on his dreams and hopes to a younger Cloud.
Interestingly, it's also revealed that Zack got the Buster Sword from Angeal Hewley, Zack's mentor during his SOLDIER days. Angeal's backstory reveals that his father forged the sword himself. His family had to borrow money to make the sword, and his father succumbed to illness while trying to pay off their debts.
As such, Angeal holds this sword in high regard, as this contains his father's memory. Angeal tries not to use the Buster Sword as much as possible, which explains why he uses his SOLDIER-issued sword instead. He eventually passes the Buster Sword to Zack alongside his dreams and honor.
7 Gunblades: An Extension Of Self
Squall's Gunblade, the Revolver, remains an intrinsic part of his design. While Squall gets a much more powerful Gunblade later in FF8 (Lion Heart), it's Revolver that players associate with him the most. Unlike the Buster Sword, the Revolver fits Squall perfectly.
It's safe to assume that the Revolver is the original model of all Gunblades. Interestingly, the Revolver also has the Griever motif all over it. The Griever refers to Squall's lion head crest, which is prominent in a lot of his accessories. Squall is huge on lions, and he admires them for their pride and strength. Players can see the Griever's lion form etched on both sides of Revolver, and its bust appears as a keychain attached to its grip.
6 Buster Sword: The Big Effing Sword
One might argue that the Buster Sword started a trope across the modern fantasy genre when it comes to protagonists with massive weapons. While franchises such as Berserker (1989) already debuted the "protagonist with huge sword" archetype, many players can admit Cloud made this trope recognizable in modern media.
Moreover, other video games also feature huge swords. For instance, SoulCalibur features the Soul Calibur and the Soul Edge, both weapons of divine and unholy power. In anime and manga, Naruto has Samehada and Kubikiribōchō (wielded by Kisame and Zabuza, respective), and Bleach has Ichigo Kurosaki's Zangetsu. The Buster Sword isn't the "first" of these big swords, but it made the weapon iconic in games.
5 Gunblades: Attached To The User
Unlike the Buster Sword, Gunblades have stuck with the Final Fantasy mythos since its conception. Aside from being present in future games, fans immediately associate the Gunblade with Squall. Moreover, the Gunblade has become such an intrinsic part of Squall's design that he's often incomplete without it.
Interestingly, one might argue that even Lightning, the successor wielder of the Gunblade, has a recognizable design even without her signature Blazefire Saber. Non-fans may also forget that Lightning's signature Gunblade has a name! Unlike other character-weapon associations, players can see Squall and scream "Gunblade!" almost immediately.
4 Buster Sword: The Giant Kitchen Knife
In FF7''s development stage, early versions of the Buster Sword had a slimmer design. Tetsuya Nomura referred to this version of the Buster Sword as "The Giant Kitchen Knife," as this version contains "unrefined steel." Moreover, early versions of the Buster Sword seemed longer than the final version. Interestingly, all iterations of the Buster Sword have holes for Materia slots.
This choice ties into Cloud Strife's origins, as designers based Cloud on legendary swordsman Musashi Miyamoto. The original Buster Sword points towards Miyamoto's saburito waster sword he used against Sasaki Kojiro, the legendary swordsman who also served as Sephiroth's inspiration.
3 Gunblades: Interesting Conceptualization
When Tetsuya Nomura designs Final Fantasy characters, he also designs their weapons. It seems Nomura got the idea of a Gunblade while he was still into silver accessories. Since he wanted Squall to have a silver weapon, he thought of a new way for gamers to use a signature weapon in battle. It's thanks to these elements that Nomura got to conceive the Gunblade.
Moreover, the team initially thought the Gunblade would be shooting bullets. However, Nomura corrected them that the original Gunblade is a sword with a force of a gun. This statement explains how Squall seems to be one of the few who can use a Gunblade, as it takes mastery to perfect the "timing" of using such a feature.
2 Buster Sword: Evolves Into Fusion Swords
Cloud eventually lets go of the Buster Sword in Advent Children. In the film, Cloud leaves the sword on the same cliff where his friend Zack had died while trying to return to Aerith. Cloud uses the Fusion Swords in place of the Buster Sword.
In the film, the Fusion Swords serve as an "evolution" of the Buster Blade. This sword can split into six swords, all of which have some form of purpose on the battlefield. The Fusion Swords still allow Cloud to perform his signature Limit Breaks. However, the most iconic attack with Fusion Swords would have to be Cloud's powerful Omnislash. Instead of attacking with the Buster Sword multiple times, the Fusion Swords will split up and have Cloud attack the opponent with each blade.
1 Gunblades: Multiple Modes, Forms
Whereas Squall's Gunblade in FF8 serves him more as a melee weapon, Lightning's Gunblades in FF13 serve as both swords and guns. In the game, Lightning's Gunblades have a separate blade-mode and a gun-mode. A Gunblade's blade-mode has the iconic structure present in the Gunblade, where a sword's hilt also serves as the gun's grip. However, the Gunblade "splits" in gun-mode to reveal a shotgun-like appearance.
Moreover, Gunblades in FF13 come in different forms, shapes, and sizes. Each of these Gunblades possesses unique traits and abilities Lightning can use to her advantage. In battle, Gunblades quickly have the edge thanks to its versatility. For Squall, pressing the trigger in his Revolver Gunblade boosts his damage with vibrations.