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 triple-barreled handgun, ornamented with swilring patterns, depictions of a dog's head on each barrel, and a long silver chain in the shape of a three-headed dog with a wing. 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
It is unknown when Vincent gave up the Death Penalty for this unique handgun, as it is never explained. He seems to have mastered the use of it in the time between the game and the movie, however.

The Cerberus first appeared in Advent Children, when Vincent arrives in a ghost-like form to save Cloud. From the swirling mist, bullets are continuously shot at Kadaj, three at a time. It isn't 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) that Vincent carries his gun in a holster attached to his thigh. The Cerberus appears again in Dirge of Cerberus, as protagonist Vincent's default weapon. Although still no explanation is given about the weapons 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 a triple-barreled rifle, a Thompson-style rapid-fire gun, and a new version of his ultimate weapon from Final Fantasy VII, Death Penalty. The Cerberus is best for close to midrange gunslinging, and is much faster than Vincent's other two main guns without any additions.

Mechanics
The Cerberus is a semi-automatic handgun with extremely lethal tendancies. It is initially capable of holding 18 shots at once, with larger magazines available. As shown by Vincent in both the game and the movie, it is reloaded similarly to a shotgun - that is, loading into the back of the barrel. 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 ammo. It can also be equipped with Materia to cast spells from its barrels, and accessories such as a scope for extreme accuracy.

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.