Gunblade (weapon type)

The Gunblade is a recurring weapon in the Final Fantasy series, first appearing in Final Fantasy VIII. It is an original weapon: a fusion of the Sword and Gun, thus the name "Gunblade". The Final Fantasy VIII Gunblades could not actually fire projectiles. Later versions in other games, like in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy XIII, have changed these weapons to work as both a gun and a blade, although they seem to be more of a gun with blades on them, rather than a sword with a firing mechanism.

Combat Style
Although the non-ranged Gunblades are used like any normal sword, triggering a round sends a shockwave through the blade, creating a devastating vibration effect as the weapon passes through an opponent to increase damage. In Dissidia Final Fantasy, Squall Leonhart's use of the Revolver is refined beyond the normal slashes seen in Final Fantasy VIII, incorporating the use of the gunblade's recoil for a unique combat style; using the Heel Crush and Rough Divide techniques, Squall triggers a round while holding the Gunblade behind him, the recoil quickly pushing him forward. Using the Solid Barrel and Beat Fang techniques, Squall thrusts the blade into the enemy, only to trigger a round (which also damages the enemy), the recoil of the shot pushes the blade back, where Squall immediately thrusts again, repeating the process several more times.

So far the combat styles demonstrated for ranged Gunblades are simply alternating between ranged and melee combat depending on the Gunblade used. For example the Velvet Nightmare is more adept for ranged combat than melee, while the paired blades Earth and Heaven are used primarily as melee weapons, although ranged combat is indeed an option.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
During the attack on Junon, Zack Fair is attacked by copies of Genesis Rhapsodos wielding a large grenade launcher/sword hybrid. These type of Genesis copies later appear in many missions.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Yazoo and Loz both use two ornate Gunblades called the Velvet Nightmare in the film. Despite the fact that they are officially considered Gunblades, they are not seen possessing any notable cutting ability and are used mainly as guns, although they do possess a blade running along the top of the barrel, and a smaller blade along the bottom forming the front end of the trigger guard.

Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-
Weiss the Immaculate uses two lever-action rifle/katana hybrids that are similar to Gunblades in battle against Vincent, named "Earth" and "Heaven". These katana are capable of long-range fire albeit in single bursts, similar to a shotgun or rifle.

Final Fantasy VIII
In its first appearance, the Gunblade was the weapon of choice for Squall Leonhart and his rival; Seifer Almasy. It was a sword with a fire mechanism, such as a pistol (as with Seifer's Hyperion) or revolver (as with Squall's Revolver), which serves as the hilt for the blade. Despite its name, it could not be used as an actual gun, meaning it didn't fire projectiles, and could therefore only be used in melee combat, making it more like a gun supplementing a sword than a blade supplementing a firearm, e.g. a bayonet on a rifle. The firing of the Gunblade's rounds induced a tremor in the blade, causing it to deal additional damage to whatever it struck. To pull the trigger, press the R1 button just as Squall strikes his opponent. When Seifer is a playable character, using this technique is slightly more difficult because Seifer attacks much quicker.

There are seven gunblade types/models available for Squall to use throughout the game, plus Seifer's own model. Below is a list of the Gunblades present in the game.


 * Revolver
 * Shear Trigger
 * Cutting Trigger
 * Flame Saber
 * Twin Lance
 * Punishment
 * Lion Heart
 * Hyperion

Final Fantasy X-2
Though not appearing in the finished product, designs for an unused class showing Yuna wielding a dagger sized gunblade can be found in the game's Ultimania guide among numerous other potential classes.

Final Fantasy XII
In Final Fantasy XII, Gilgamesh has the Revolver Gunblade amongst his collection of Legendary Weapons. However, like all his swords, it is slightly different, having an image of a Chocobo printed on the blade, no trigger and lacks the chain and Griever symbol.

Dissidia Final Fantasy
Used in the similar way of it's origin, Squall Leonhart wields his gunblade Revolver in combat, although rounds could not be triggered at will, instead relying solely on the technique being used. When Squall uses the Lionheart in his Ex-Mode, every gunblade attack will be accompanied by a triggered round. However, instead of a triggered slash amplifying the damage dealt, the attack would simply yield two separate damage counts from a single attack, essentially doubling the number of strikes dealt. For example, Solid Barrel is a seven-hit combo attack, but while using the Lionheart, it becomes a 14-hit combo attack.

Final Fantasy XIII
This unique weapon has the ability to transform between Gun-mode and Blade-mode. Possessed by Lightning in Final Fantasy XIII this weapon is capable of both melee and long-range properties but it is unknown if Blade-mode possessed the same trigger mechanism like the original gunblade or just a weapon function as an ordinary sword. It has a holster that swings behind the back of the wielder for the weapon to rest.

Parasite Eve II
A gunblade makes an appearance in Parasite Eve II as a weapon that the gorilla like Number 9 uses. Upon his defeat Aya can use the weapon as one of her secret weapons if certain objectives are met. It was aptly named "Gunblade".

World of Warcraft
In the massively multiplayer online role playing game World of Warcraft, players can obtain a Bind on Equip rare gun named "The Gunblade". Dropped by monsters of the mid-65 level range it requires a Level 65 player to equip. A bonus is that it increases attack power by 36 points upon equipping.

Gunblades in Popular Culture

 * In the fanmade CG movies Dead Fantasy, Rinoa Heartilly weilds a black gunblade called the Vanishing Star. It possesses a revolver handle like Squall's gunblade but features a different blade with a white feather and the words Vanishing Star inscribed upon it. Upon further inspection, the Gunblade has two triggers (as noted on Monty Oum's deviant) and an actual gun barrel atop the weapon's blade, as well as exhaust port's on the blade itself, suggesting that it can be used as ranged weapon as well. On said gun barrel, the words All Existence Denied are inscribed: a direct quote of Ultimecia in Final Fantasy VIII ' s last battle. Rinoa is seen wielding it one handed in a similar style to the chinese Dao sword. When not in use it has a belt holster that it can attach to on the wielder's hip.


 * In the popular Dion Roger's Rinoa concept design of Rinoa, Rinoa is seen wielding this gunblade which possesses a shotgun handle and a Griever etching on the blade. It has been dubbed the Shotgunblade by Dion Roger when commenting on the art's design.

Trivia

 * At one point in Final Fantasy VIII, Laguna Loire also uses a Revolver Gunblade despite not being a prominent Gunblade user.
 * An interesting note is that Seifer Almasy's Gunblade, the Hyperion, has the same name as a Holy Dragon from the Square Enix game Bahamut Lagoon.
 * Lightning is the only female gunblade user, and she is also the most versatile user, for she can also use her gunblade to shoot projectiles, but still remains very proficient with melee combat.
 * The Twin Lance and Punishment Gunblades are also called Lance of Slit and Crime & Penalty respectively.