The Hairpin is a weapon for Red XIII in Final Fantasy VII. It is has no Materia slots and modest stats, but is the only long range weapon for Red XIII, and provides a small critical hit rate increase.
Like all Red XIII's weapons, Hairclip is not rendered or visible in-game, and also cannot be thrown.
Obtained[]
The Hairpin can be obtained at Wutai at Godo's house. After the player has the Highwind, it can also be purchased for 3,500 gil.
Mechanics[]
As the Hairpin has a base Attack stat bonus of 57, the base damage for physical attacks when the Hairpin is equipped is in the following formula:
where "Level" is Red XIII's current level and "Strength" is his Strength stat. The Hairpin also has an Attack% (Accuracy) of 120%, and grants a +15 bonus to Red XIII's Magic stat. It also provide a +5% to Red XIII's critical hit rate.
As the Hairpin is a ranged weapon, it can hit enemies out of reach, and Red XIII can hit for the same damage from the back row.
Use[]
The Hairpin has moderate stats overall, but provides Red XIII with a ranged weapon. Red XIII is normally best built as a mage due to his stats, and due to the Magic boosts normally provided by his weapons. In this instance, his lack of Materia slots severely hinders Red XIII at his greatest strength. However, the weapon can be obtained during the "Homecoming of a Miserable Daughter" quest, when the player is already not using Materia.
The weapon's long range capabilities can allow Red XIII to be useful in a few circumstances against enemies that are hard to reach. Additionally, it allows Red XIII to be more survivable by remaining in the back row. The main issue with the weapon is that Barret, Yuffie, and Vincent each have long range weapons without the drawback of low Materia slots, meaning it is preferable to simply bring them along or have Red XIII either use the Long Range Materia or focus on his spellcasting to make up for his own lack of range.
The Hairpin can be obtained for free in Wutai, but is fairly cheap otherwise. As the weapon is incredibly niche and does not provide significant benefits to possess, it is often better to skip it rather than purchase it, even for its small gil cost. Though it may be useful if building Red XIII towards physical damage instead, the Seraph Comb and Behemoth Horn ultimately outclass it in this regard even in spite of its long range and critical hit benefit due to their better stats and their Materia slots.