Meet 'Airbuster', a techno-soldier. Our Weapon Development Department created him. I'm sure the data he'll extract from your dead bodies will be of great use to us in future experiments.
Air Buster, referred to as Airbuster in dialogue and the BradyGames guide, is a boss in Final Fantasy VII. Cloud, Barret, and Tifa encounter it outside of the Sector 5 Reactor during "To the No. 5 Reactor".
Stats[]
Formations[]
| # | Formation |
|---|---|
| 364 | Air Buster (Side Attack) |
| 365 | Air Buster (Side Attack) |
| 366 | Air Buster (Side Attack) |
Locations[]
| No. 5 Reactor | |
|---|---|
| Outside Reactor | 364 (fixed) |
Battle[]
The battle is a Side Attack with Tifa and Barret on one side, Cloud on the other side, and Air Buster in the middle. Unlike most opponents, attacks to the back of Air Buster will deal five-times normal damage instead of the regular double damage. Air Buster turns to face whoever attacked it last.
Air Buster resists Fire. It will only use Big Bomber for the first four turns in "Program 1 Operation". After that, Big Bomber will be out of ammo and Airbuster enters "Program 2 Operation" and uses the weaker Energy Ball for the rest of the battle. It uses Bodyblow as a counter-attack that may be used either turning to face Barret and Tifa (high accuracy), or turning to face Cloud (low accuracy). Airbuster can hit one character from its behind using his Rear Gun attack. When Air Buster has below 20% of its Max HP, it can no longer turn.
Strategy[]
Using Limit Breaks against Air Buster's back results in a quick fight and the combined power of Cloud's and Barret's Limits can take down Air Buster in a single turn. If the party doesn't have Limit Breaks built up, they should use normal attacks against its back and use Bolt.
Air Buster turns to face whoever attacked it last, so Cloud should attack it first, so it turns its back towards Tifa and Barret who should attack in succession. Air Buster will turn its back to Cloud, giving him a free shot for more damage.
AI script[]
Declare BackToTarget
Declare Ammo = 4
Declare Program = 0
Declare SelectedTarget
Declare TurnBroken = 0
Declare Counter = 0
Declare FacingTarget = 0
BackToTarget = 0
Display Message "Program 1 Operation"
Program = 1
SelectedTarget = random opponent
If (Self is facing Cloud) Then: Use Turn to face Barret & Tifa
Else: Use Turn to face Cloud
BackToTarget = 1
If (Self is facing Cloud AND Cloud is defeated OR Self is facing Barret and Tifa AND Barret is defeated AND Tifa is defeated) Then: Ammo = 0
Use Big Bomber on SelectedTarget
Ammo = Ammo - 1
If (Ammo == 0) Then: Display Message "Big Bomber's out of ammo."
Display Message "Program 2 Operation"
Program = 2
SelectedTarget = random opponent
If (Self is facing Cloud) Then: Use Rear Gun on SelectedTarget
Else: Use Energy Ball on SelectedTarget
If (Self is facing Cloud) Then: Use Energy Ball on SelectedTarget
Else: Use Rear Gun on Selected Target
Display Message "Turn Function non-operational"
TurnBroken = 1
SelectedTarget = last attacker
If (Self is facing Barret and Tifa AND SelectedTarget == Cloud OR Self is facing Cloud AND (SelectedTarget == Barret OR SelectedTarget == Tifa)) Then: Counter = 1
FacingTarget = 0
Counter = 0
Display Message "Counter Attack"
Use Turn to face Barret & Tifa
Use Bodyblow*High hit rate version on SelectedTarget
Use Turn to face Cloud
Use Bodyblow*Low hit rate version on SelectedTarget
FacingTarget = 1
If (FacingTarget == 0) Then: Use Rear Gun on SelectedTarget
Turn off Death Handling for Self
Use Destroyed
Notes[]
- Turn to face Cloud and Turn to face Barret & Tifa are animations. They also serve as a toggle to who the Air Buster faces, which plays an important role in the script. Destroyed is also an animation.
- Turn off Death Handling means that the usual death animation for bosses no longer happens.
Behind the Scenes[]
The designs of the Weapons and some Shinra robots in Final Fantasy VII are highly reminiscent of mecha from the Gundam franchise; the Air Buster resembles the MSN-02 Zeong. The resemblance is heightened in the Air Buster's VII Remake counterpart, which possesses the Zeong's signature weapons and is described as incomplete in similar fashion to the Zeong's own deployment.
Other appearances[]
Pictlogica Final Fantasy[]
Air Buster appears as an enemy in Pictlogica Final Fantasy.
Final Fantasy Record Keeper[]
Air Buster's Big Bomber ability can deal a lot of damage, so make sure you're ready to heal, kupo. Good thing he only has four shots! It's still a good idea to heal up right away, though.
Dr. Mog's Advice
Air Buster appears as the boss of Mako Reactor No. 5 in Final Fantasy Record Keeper.
- Target Score
- Defeat without being KO'd
- Abilities
Normal form
- Attack: Deal physical damage to one target.
- Bomb Blast: Deal moderate physical damage to one target.
- Tail Gun: Deal special physical damage to one target.
Out of Ammo form
- Atack: Deal physical damage to one target.
- Energy Ball: Deal special physical damage to one target.
- Additional Information
When Air Buster runs out of Big Bomber shells, it enters its Out of Ammo form.
- Strategy
The Air Buster is not going to be a particularly easy battle at very low levels since, at this point, the party has only gained one or two levels from the start of their quest after beating the Guard Scorpion. What makes this battle frustrating is that the mech will counter just about anything physical with one of its attacks. And when it runs out of bombs, the Air Buster compensates by hitting harder. Have the White Mage ready to heal whosoever gets picked on, the Black Mage casting Thunder, and Tyro attacking with the strongest weapon found in the opening tutorial. Though it could be a long fight, Air Buster will fall. Cloud will join the party after the first visit; it may just be wise to warm him up here before taking on a new Record Realm. After all, four heads are better than three.
- Elemental Attributes
| Element | Vulnerability |
|---|---|
| Fire | Resist |
| Ice | Normal |
| Lightning | Vulnerable |
| Earth | Immune |
| Wind | Normal |
| Water | Normal |
| Holy | Normal |
| Dark | Normal |
| Poison | Normal |
Final Fantasy Brave Exvius[]
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Gallery[]
Etymology[]
The word "buster" means a person who breaks up something, e.g. crime busters, or something big or unusual for its kind. It derives from the verb "bust".