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-. It is a powerful handgun capable of shooting three bullets at the same time. While it first appears in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, the gun also appears in the movie's prologue despite not being mentioned in the original Final Fantasy VII, possibly indicating that the Cerberus has been retconned to have been his default weapon, replacing Quicksilver.

It is a triple-barreled, triple-cylindered 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's underworld.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
The Cerberus first appears 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 the viewer first sees the full gun, which he puts to good use in the battle. At one point in the battle, Vincent can be seen stopping on the top of a spire to reload the Cerberus. Vincent carries his gun in a holster attached to his right thigh.

Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-
The Cerberus is protagonist Vincent's default weapon. Although still no explanation is given about the weapon's appearance, more information is given about the gun itself in the customization screens. It can be fitted with short, normal, and long barrels, with the normal barrel as the standard length. As opposed to Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Vincent carries an arsenal of mysterious guns, 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 shooting, but equipping a long barrel will enable it to shoot at long distances with ease.

During the Training Program in Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- a plain silver Cerberus with no decorations is used by a young Vincent Valentine. It is described as a "Standard Shinra Handgun". Unlike the Cerberus, this gun is modified to shoot only one bullet at a time.

Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
The Cerberus weapon appears in Final Fantasy Trading Card Game.

One of Vincent's cards bears an ability named "Powered Cerberus". For the discard of another Vincent card and one Earth CP, Powered Cerberus makes Vincent Active and grants him +4,000 power until the end of the turn.

Mechanics
The Cerberus is a semi-automatic, break loading revolver with three barrels and three cylinders. It is initially capable of holding 18 shots at once, having six chambers per cylinder. The gun is reloaded by a breaking mechanism that tilts the barrels and cylinders at an angle, allowing the ejection of spent cartridges and the placement of fresh rounds, ending with a flick of the wrist that snaps the barrels back into place. Three bullets are fired at once, allowing for only six shots per reload.

With in-game customization in Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, Cerberus can become lighter, more powerful, or hold more ammunition. A Materia slot can be equipped on a chain, allowing the use of different Materia to cast spells from its barrels. Accessories, such as a scope for accuracy and automatic reloading mechanisms, can also be equipped for added dependability.

Merchandise
Cerberus has appeared in Final Fantasy Master Arms that includes iconic Final Fantasy weapons. In Vincent's Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Play Arts action figure he is also holding the Cerberus.

Etymology
Its incarnation as a firearm is a likely reference to the 2002 video game and anime series, .

Trivia

 * In Cloud joins Sora and Hercules in a boss battle with . Before the battle he utters: "Cerberus? There's a name I've heard before" in reference to Vincent's weapon.