The buster sword is Cloud's default weapon in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. It starts with two materia slots, and teaches Cloud the Focused Thrust ability, which deals moderate damage but significantly raises enemies' stagger. As the initial weapon, the buster sword has balanced, well-rounded attributes that improve Cloud both as a mage and a physical attacker, with varied weapon skills.
The buster sword is Cloud's iconic weapon throughout the Final Fantasy VII series. If Cloud is transformed into a toad, he has a miniature buster sword on his back as part of his model, though the miniature is not usable as a weapon.
The buster sword is also Zack Fair's weapon, but his equipment cannot be modified.
Upgrades[]
| Level |  ATK
|
 MATK
|
Materia slots | Skill slots | New weapon skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | 22 | 
|
1 |  Weapon Ability Damage +5% - Increases weapon ability damage by 5%. Max HP +200 - Increases max HP by 200.
|
| 2 | 30 | 30 |
|
1 | Improved Punisher - Increases punisher mode strong attack damage by 10%.
|
| 3 | 37 | 37 | 
|
1 |  MP Recovery Rate Up - Slightly increases MP regeneration speed during battle.
|
| 4 | 45 | 45 |
|
2 | Enhanced Physical Guard - Reduces physical damage by 5% while guarding.
|
| 5 | 58 | 58 |
|
2 | Max MP +3 - Increases max MP by 3. |
| 6 | 73 | 73 |
|
3 | Reprieve - Prevents incapacitation once per battle. Does not work against instant death attacks or when HP is at 1.
|
| 7 | 88 | 88 |
|
3 | Weapon Ability Damage +5% - Increases weapon ability damage by 5%.
|
| 8 | 105 | 105 |
|
4 | Max HP +200 - Increases max HP by 200.
|
| 9 | 126 | 126 |
|
4 | Limit Break Damage +10% - Increases limit break damage by 10%.
|
Use[]
The buster sword is a balanced and general-purpose weapon that builds Cloud toward any playstyle. It provides an equal boost to his Attack Power and Magic Attack, giving the third-highest attack power boost and fourth-highest magic attack boost. Because Cloud is a versatile party member who is useful as a physical attacker, a mage, or a defensive supporting party member, the buster sword can be effective in allowing him to play each role without requiring him to specialize in one.
The buster sword's weapon skills do not specialize in a specific area. Its ultimate weapon skill is Limit Break Damage +10%, unique among his weapons. It also has many skills that improve his ability, including HP boosts and Reprieve, an exceptional ability. Though its weapon skills provide less durability than 
Umbral Blade, it has higher stat boosts for its own damage.
Compared to other weapons, buster sword is as balanced as umbral blade, but with stronger attributes, while Sleek Saber is also balanced but with a slight lean toward physical damage, and with weapon skills more geared to damage output. Cloud's other weapons are better at specializing Cloud as a physical or magic attacker.
Behind the scenes[]
If the player equips the buster sword for the final battles, Cloud and Zack both fight side-by-side with the buster sword.
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".
A sword is a blade weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration. A sword in the most narrow sense consists of a straight blade with two edges and a hilt. However, in nearly every case, the term may also be used to refer to weapons with a single edge (backsword).