Lion Heart ( weapon ) The Lion Heart ( also written as Lionheart ) is a recurring weapon in the " Final Fantasy " series . It first appeared in " Final Fantasy VIII " and is widely known for being Squall Leonhart ' s strongest gunblade . In its most iconic appearance as Squall ' s weapon , the Lion Heart is a gunblade whose blade is in a translucent gradient from dark blue at the edge to white near the middle of the blade . The frame of the gun portion is modeled with features incorporating the Revolver , Squall ' s starting weapon . These include a black gripped handle base , a breach , barrel , and magazine port similar to the M16 assault rifle , various grips to accentuate various positions of wielding — including an extended handle - like stock to a rifle - saber hybrid handguard near the magazine — and a design finish to incorporate the Griever emblem , a lion carved on the side and a wing protrusion emerging from the top . Squall ' s version of the Lion Heart appears to be able to switch between different fire settings . This can be seen most apparently in the Play Arts toy version of the weapon . In " Final Fantasy X " and " Final Fantasy XIII " , the Lionheart is gold colored . Appearances . " Final Fantasy VIII " . The Lion Heart is Squall ' s ultimate weapon , refined from rare materials around the world . It allows access to all of Squall ' s finishing moves during his Renzokuken Limit Break , and enables his strongest finisher , the Lion Heart . Items required to remodel a gunblade to Lion Heart are an Adamantine , Dragon Fang x4 and Pulse Ammo rounds x12 . The cost of the upgrade is 2000 gil . Though time - consuming , the necessary ingredients and Guardian Force abilities can be amassed before the end of disc 1 . Once the items are obtained , the Lion Heart can be made in any junk shop regardless of whether one has read Weapons Monthly , 1st Issue . " Final Fantasy X " . A customized version of the Variable Steel is available for Tidus ; the Lionheart is a level 10 weapon that has the Double Overdrive ability . " Final Fantasy XI " . Lionheart is a great sword in the class of powerful armaments known as aeonic weapons . " Final Fantasy XIII " . The Lionheart is a model of gunblade obtainable by Lightning at the beginning of Chapter 12 . It can also be bought at Plautus ' s Workshop for 28 , 000 gil . At max level it dismantles into Ceramic Armor ( x7 ) and an Uraninite . It has the trait Quick Stagger , which allows Lightning to immediately stagger an enemy with any strike when the stagger gauge is at 90 % full . Though it does not have the highest Strength and Magic stats among her weapons , Quick Stagger makes it valuable . Its upgraded version is the Ultima Weapon . " Final Fantasy Tactics Advance " . The Lionheart appears as a knight sword for Paladins , Templars and Defenders . It has 34 Attack , 2 Defense , 1 Magic Resistance , and teaches Defense to Paladins and Defenders . It can be bought at the shop . " " . is a weapon usable by Paladins , Templar and Defenders . It has 38 Attack and increases Defense by 2 and Resistance by 1 . It is the Rank E item of the " Battle - tested Swords " section of the Bazaar , and requires a Tarkov Crystal , a Zirconium and a Dragon Bone to unlock , and is then bought for 1220 Gil in the shop . It teaches Defend to Paladins and Defenders . " Dissidia Final Fantasy " ( 2008 ) . Squall wields the Lion Heart in his EX Mode . Wielding the Lion Heart gives Squall the " Lion Heart ( RANGE ) " and " Lion Heart ( HIT ) " abilities . The range boost increases the range of Squall ' s melee attacks , while the second ability increases the power of the trigger function when Squall lands a melee attack , doubling the power of each blast . The Lionheart is also Squall ' s level 100 exclusive weapon . To obtain it , the player must trade in the Punishment weapon , Unshelled Bullet x5 and Bless Orb x5 . The Lion Heart increases the player ' s Attack by 68 , increases EX Force Absorption by 30 % , and gives Squall the Sneak Attack ability . " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " . Squall again wields the Lion Heart as his EX Mode weapon , with its effects unchanged . The Lion Heart is retained as his Level 100 weapon . Non - " Final Fantasy " guest appearances . " Kingdom Hearts " series . A called the can be obtained by defeating Cloud and Leon ( Squall ) in the . It has high attack power , increases max MP , and increases his magic and powers . In " Chain of Memories " , the Lionheart Attack Card can be found in bonus boxes in Traverse Town during Sora ' s Story , which has high attack but performs poorly in combos . A similar weapon called the can be acquired in " Kingdom Hearts II " from Leon in before the second visit to . It has decent attack strength and magical abilities , and increases the amount of strikes Sora can deliver in a combo . Both Keyblades , despite their names , look more like the Revolver , Squall ' s starting weapon in " Final Fantasy VIII " , and not the Lion Heart , and use Squall ' s leonine Griever emblem as the basis for their designs . The Sleeping Lion in particular has a bladed edge along its length unlike the majority of Keyblades , and a gun barrel set into the handle , making it appear similar to the Revolver . The Sleeping Lion also bears some resemblance to the Twin Lance weapon Squall can receive in " Final Fantasy VIII " , as it has a hollow gap running through the center of the blade . When fought in the Colosseum cups , Leon will occasionally power up his gunblade , surrounding the blade with a bright blue and gold aura , which makes it appear similar to the Lion Heart . " Blood of Bahamut " . Lionheart is a gun that can be equipped by Ryuma . Merchandise . The Lion Heart is included in the Play Arts Arms set along with four other ultimate weapons . Its blade is not blue like in its other appearances , but metallic - gray like the Revolver . Etymology . The name in the " Final Fantasy " series comes from Squall , who has a lion theme to his character represented also in his ultimate weapon , the Lion Heart .