Cerberus (weapon)



The Cerberus is Vincent Valentine's weapon of choice in both Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-. Interestingly, the gun also appears in the prologue to Advent Children, despite not being mentioned in the original Final Fantasy VII, possibly indicating the the Cerberus has been retconned to have been his default weapon. It is a triple-barreled, tripled-chambered revolver, ornamented with scrollwork patterns, a small dog's head in place of the iron sights on each barrel, and a silver chain in the shape of a three-headed dog with a wing hanging from the end of the grip. Both the keychain and the gun itself are derived from Ancient Greek mythology, where Cerberus, the three-headed hellhound, guarded the gates to Hades' underworld.

Appearances
The Cerberus first appeared in Advent Children, when Vincent arrives in a ghost-like form to save Cloud Strife. From the swirling cloak, bullets are continuously shot at Kadaj, three at a time. It is not until the battle with Bahamut SIN in Edge that we first see the full gun, which he puts to good use in the battle. At one point in the battle, he can be seen stopping on the top of a spire to reload the Cerberus. We also see for the first time (thanks to the improved graphics in Advent Children: Complete) that Vincent carries his gun in a holster attached to his right thigh.

The Cerberus appears again in Dirge of Cerberus, as protagonist Vincent's default weapon. Although still no explanation is given about the weapon's appearance, much more information is given about the gun itself in the customization screens. As opposed to Advent Children, Vincent carries an arsenal of strange guns in this game, including the Hydra, a bolt-action rifle, the Griffon, a Thompson-style machine gun, and a new version of his ultimate weapon from Final Fantasy VII, the Death Penalty. The Cerberus is best for close to mid-range gunslinging.

It can also be seen in the Advent Children flashback to Final Fantasy VII, as well as in the opening of Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, when other characters are shown equipped with their default Final Fantasy VII weapon, despite the Cerberus not being an available weapon in that game. This could mean that the Cerberus is meant to replace Quicksilver as Vincent's original weapon.

Mechanics
The Cerberus is a semi-automatic, break loading revolver with three barrels and three chambers. It is initially capable of holding 18 shots at once, six per chamber. As shown by Vincent in both the game and the movie, it is reloaded by a breaking mechanism that tilts the barrel and chambers an angle, allowing the ejection of spent cartridges and the placement of fresh rounds, ending with a flick of the wrist that snaps the barrel back into place. Three bullets are fired at once, allowing for only 6 shots per reload. With in-game customization, it can become lighter, more powerful, or hold more ammunition. A Materia Slot can also be equipped on a chain, allowing the use of different Materia to cast spells from its barrels. Accessories such as a scope for extreme accuracy and automatic reloading mechanisms could also be equipped for added dependability.

Etymology
Vincent's gun is named after Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guarded the gates of the Underworld in Greek mythology. Its original appearance is as a monstrous dog with three heads, a snake for a tail, and snakes going down his back as a mane. It is described as well in Roman mythology and Dante's Inferno. Although being ferocious and eating anyone who tries to enter the Underworld uninvited, it has been known to be subdued several times through different means.