When thinking of Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy 7 Remake, those who have played the games or are even just familiar with the characters will likely picture Cloud and his dramatically oversized sword. FF7 has many iconic weapons – including the Buster Sword – each of which has an interesting origin, and where they came from lends significance to the characters who wield them.
WARNING: The following contains potential SPOILERS for FF7 Remake‘s future installments.
Cloud’s Buster Sword is one of the most memorable weapons of the series. While the sword couldn’t feasibly be swung about in real life due to its impressive dimensions, in video game combat, it definitely makes a statement. Cloud obtains the Buster Sword from Zack Fair, the SOLDIER First Class whose memories Cloud mistakenly thinks are his, on his dying breath. The Buster Sword’s history goes back even further, however, as the sword originally belong to Angeal, Zack’s mentor in Final Fantasy: Crisis Core. The Buster Sword represents the honor and dreams of its legacy of wielders, and it seemingly represents the struggles each character battles through during the FF7 timeline.
The long, thin blade that is the signature weapon of Sephiroth is known as the Masamune. According to the Final Fantasy Wiki, Sephiroth is the only person who can properly use the sword to its full potential. Throughout the series, Sephiroth uses the sword to cut down many innocent characters, from Tifa’s father to the heartbreaking death of Aerith Gainsborough. While the actual origins of the Masamune are unknown, the sword is as infamous as Sephiroth himself.
FF7’s Most Iconic Weapons Aren’t Just Its Big Swords
![Final Fantasy 7’s Most Iconic Weapons & Where They Came From](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Smash-Bros-Sephiroth-DLC-Trailer-Screenshot.jpg)
While swords are a common weapon in FF7, there are also a few powerful guns many players have become familiar with. Fans of FF7’s Vincent Valentine likely recognize his primary weapon, Cerberus. The weapon is a sleek, three-barreled handgun that can be outfitted with many different upgrades in FF7 spin-off game Dirge of Cerberus. While it isn’t clear where Vincent originally obtained Cerberus, it is possible it was originally his Shinra-issue handgun, later modified to become the more versatile, three-barreled weapon.
Barret Wallace’s gun-arm is an even more iconic firearm. FF7‘s Barret lost his arm trying to escape from Shinra troops after they destroyed his home town. According to the On the Way to a Smile novella, Barret’s prosthetic was made by a craftsman called Old Man Sakaki, who devised an adapter that could attach multiple weapons for Barret’s fight against Shinra.
FF7 and FF7 Remake‘s many unique weapons have ingrained themselves in the gaming consciousness since the original game’s release. In designing FF7‘s characters, the game’s developers clearly considered not just the characters’ outfits, personalities, and hair, but their powerful weapons, too. Because of this, players are just as likely to think of a character’s signature sword or gun as the character themselves, when looking back on iconic moments from the Final Fantasy 7 storyline.