Gunblade ( weapon type ) Gunblade ( in " Final Fantasy VIII " or in " Final Fantasy XIII " ) is a recurring type of weapon in the " Final Fantasy " series , first appearing in " Final Fantasy VIII " . Originally designed by Tetsuya Nomura , a gunblade is a fusion of a sword and a gun . The " Final Fantasy VIII " gunblades do not fire projectiles , but later versions in other games , like in the " Compilation of Final Fantasy VII " and " Final Fantasy XIII " , work as both a gun and a blade , although seem to work more of guns with blades rather than swords with firing mechanisms . Profile . In " Final Fantasy VIII " all forms of gunblade consist of a sword blade with a gun action built into the hilt , the barrel running inside the length of the blade . They are mostly used like normal swords , but triggering a round sends a shock wave through the blade as the weapon passes through an opponent to boost 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 propelling him forward . Using the Solid Barrel and Beat Fang techniques , Squall thrusts the blade into the enemy , triggers a round ( which also damages the enemy ) , and the recoil of the shot pushes the blade back , where Squall immediately thrusts again , repeating the process several more times . In " Final Fantasy VIII " Squall wields his gunblade two - handed , but in " Dissidia Final Fantasy " he often uses the weapon with one hand . The combat styles demonstrated for gunblades capable of projectile firing ( as seen in " Final Fantasy XIII " and the " Compilation of Final Fantasy VII " ) alternate between ranged and melee combat with the favored style depending on the gunblade used . For example , the Velvet Nightmare is more adept for ranged combat than melee . " Final Fantasy XIV " introduces several gun hybrid weapons , such as the Gunhalberd , Gunhammers , Gunbaghnakhs and Gunshields , which use a halberd , grappling weapon , hammer or shield bases , rather than a sword base . Development . The gunblade was designed by Tetsuya Nomura for Squall ' s weapon in " Final Fantasy VIII " with the aim to make the battles more dynamic , the players needing to press a button at the correct time to deal a critical hit , and to give Squall an iconic weapon . Nomura has stated he designed Squall ' s gunblade during a time he was into silver accessories , but on thinking back he says it has a rather odd appearance . For " Final Fantasy XIII " , the idea for Lightning to have a sword that can transform into a gun relates to the game ' s Eidolons , which can turn into vehicles , and the narrative ' s themes of transformation . Reasoning that if the summons could transform , the developers thought the weapons should be able to as well . Appearances . Yazoo and Loz use two ornate gunblades called the Velvet Nightmare . Despite being officially considered gunblades , they don ' t appear to possess any notable cutting ability , and are used mainly as guns , although they do have a blade running along the top of the barrel , and a smaller blade along the bottom forming the front end of the trigger guard . " Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII - " . Various copies of Genesis wield gunblades , swords capable of firing bullets and rockets . They first appear during the attack on Junon and can be encountered on missions . There are two varieties of this gunblade , as its appearance degrades in the same manner as the clothing worn by the Genesis copies , thus more degraded copies use a variant with faded coloring . " Final Fantasy VIII " . The weapon ' s debut appearance , the gunblade is the weapon of choice for Squall Leonhart and his rival , Seifer Almasy . It is a sword with a firing mechanism , such as a pistol ( as with Seifer ' s Hyperion ) , or revolver ( as with Squall ' s weapons ) , which serves as the blade ' s hilt . Despite its name , it cannot be used as a gun , meaning it does not fire projectiles , and can 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 induces a tremor in the blade causing it to deal additional damage to whatever it strikes . In battle , one must press while the party member is striking to pull the trigger . If successful , the hit will be critical , multiplying the damage by x1 . 5 ( as opposed to x2 for regular criticals ) . Triggering the gunblade is the only means of performing critical hits for its users . With Seifer , using this technique is slightly more difficult than with Squall because he attacks faster . Squall and Seifer are the only ones who can use a gunblade in combat , while Laguna Loire uses one in a dream sequence minigame , and mentions he trained with one in his early years as a Galbadia n soldier . All gunblade models have 255 % accuracy , making misses impossible even with Blind status . There are seven gunblade models available for Squall plus the model used by Seifer . List of gunblades : " Final Fantasy XII " . Gilgamesh has a knock - off of the Revolver gunblade among his collection of legendary weapons . Like his swords , it is slightly different from the original , having an image of a chocobo on the blade instead of Griever and lacking the chain . " Final Fantasy XIII " . The Gunblade ( also known as Dualweapon in Japan ) transforms between gun - mode and blade - mode . Used by Lightning , the gunblades are capable of both melee and long - range use . During the battle against Havoc Skytank , Lightning will only use the gun mechanism as the target is otherwise out of range . Lightning ' s gunblade has a holster that swings behind her for the weapon to rest . In the web novelization " Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero - Promise - " , Sergeant Major Amodar mentions that Lightning ' s initial weapon , the Blazefire Saber , is a weapon only used by the most skilled soldiers . List gunblade types / models : " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " . Lightning wields the gunblade bestowed to her by the goddess Etro . The weapon goes unnamed until the sequel . The gunblade , like her previous weapon , has engraved writing in Etro script . The writing reads : " " Gladius in turba aetern a induratus vincula inserepabilia rum " " , which translates to " " The blade forged in everlasting chaos shall cleave the unbreakable chain " " in English . While her previous weapon was kept in a holster slung from her belt , Lightning ' s new gunblade can be summoned and dispelled whenever she desires . " " . Lightning can obtain the and , provided the player has a save file from " Final Fantasy XIII " and " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " . However , all weapons are close - range , and thus the gunblades only function as swords . " Final Fantasy XIV " . A weapon of advanced technology , the gunblade is the weapon of choice for the Garlean Empire centurions . The weapon is an ingenious integration of sword and firearm into a single instrument and is equally capable of dispatching enemies at close - quarters and at range . One of the main antagonists of the game , Gaius Van Baelsar , wields a gunblade , the Heirsbane , while another antagonist , Nael Van Darnus , uses a gunhalberd variant , called the Bradamante , said to be named for a warrior maiden he killed . This might allude to the knight , one of the greatest female knights presented in western literature ; as an expert fighter , she wielded a magical lance that unhorsed anyone it touched . Cid nan Garlond also wields a custom unnamed gunblade . The three main antagonists encountered during the player ' s conflict with the Garlean Empire wield instruments built on the basics of gunblades : Nero Tol Scaeva uses the standard blade and a variant shaped like a hammer , called Mjolnir . Livia Sas Junius wields gunbaghnakhs called Aglaea welded to her gauntlets . Rhitahtyn Sas Arvina wields two gunshields mounted in his arms , called Tartarus . The Blazefire Saber from " Final Fantasy XIII " appears as Lightning ' s weapon in the event Lightning Strikes , and is also obtainable by the player as a reward for the event , though it is considered a Gladiator arm and thus has no gun mode . It still folds up when sheathed however . " Dissidia Final Fantasy " . Squall Leonhart wields his Revolver in combat and switches to the Lion Heart in his EX Mode . Outside of his Renzokuken EX Burst , the player cannot trigger rounds manually . Instead , the mechanism is incorporated as part of Squall ' s attack style , called Relentless Revolver . When attacking Squall uses the recoil from a triggered round to drive the blade back after attacking and quickly move into position for a second attack , allowing him to use powerful multi - hit combos that hit several times in rapid succession . It is mentioned that because of the way gunblade is used to achieve optimal performance , the weapon is considered an old - fashioned and difficult weapon to use in comparison to regular swords . As a Mime , Bartz uses Squall ' s Revolver in some of his attacks . Manikin s of the two use crystalline versions of the Revolver , colored respectively to match their user . In addition to wielding the Revolver and Lion Heart in battle , the Revolver , Twin Lance , Punishment and Lion Heart appear as Squall ' s exclusive weapons . " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " . Lightning wields the Blazefire Saber in battle and exchanges it for the Omega Weapon in her EX Mode . As in " Final Fantasy XIII " , Lightning uses both the weapon ' s sword and gun forms , quickly switching between the two while attacking to combine close and long - range tactics , such as firing a barrage of gunfire then diving in for a sword slash . Squall continues to use the Revolver and Lion Heart , and Bartz uses both the Revolver and Blazefire Saber when performing some attacks , but he only uses the sword form of the Blazefire Saber . Manikins of the three use crystalline forms of their users ' respective gunblades in battle . The Revolver , Twin Lance , Punishment and Lion Heart return as Squall ' s exclusive weapons . As with Squall , many of Lightning ' s exclusive weapons are named after her " Final Fantasy XIII " gunblades — the Blazefire Saber , Axis Blade , Flamberge , Enkindler , and Omega Weapon . " Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade " . Several gunblades from previous entries in the series appear as weapons of the sword class , such as Lightning ' s Blazefire Saber or Squall Leonhart ' s Revolver . Classes that get a bonus when wielding swords , such as the Red Mage or Dark Knight , will also get a bonus when using a gunblade . Gunblades are typically powerful weapons and most of them rank as SR or SSR weapons . " Final Fantasy All the Bravest " . Two of Lightning ' s gunblades appear , Blazefire Saber and Omega Weapon , but classified as katana . Katana can be equipped by the Warrior , Red Mage , Blue Mage , Onion Knight , Firion , Terra , Celes , Zidane , Tidus , Ashe , and Lightning . Squall and Seifer wield the Revolver and Hyperion in battle when attacking . " Final Fantasy Record Keeper " . Some gunblades returns and are classified as swords . Currently all released gunblades have rarity of 5 . Similar weapons . While the following weapons are not officially considered gunblades , they share many of their characteristics . " Compilation of Final Fantasy VII " . " Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII - " . Wutai troopers wield halberds with gun barrels built into the handles , and can flip them around to fire bursts of gunfire . The halberd comes in several color schemes to match the user ' s armor , and stronger Wutai soldiers wield halberds with additional reinforcements to the weapon . " Dirge of Cerberus - Final Fantasy VII - " . Rosso the Crimson ' s weapon is a double - bladed sword with a gun built into its handle . Weiss the Immaculate wields a pair of rifles with katanas built into the barrels . At least one of the Restrictors uses a pair of automatic sub - machine guns with blade attachments . " Final Fantasy XII " . The Ras Algethi gun appears to be based on the " Final Fantasy VIII " Lion Heart with aspects of the Revolver ' s design . Though classified as a gun and thus only being used in ranged combat , it bears a large blue blade running along the length of the barrel , a wing design on the hammer , and a handle similar to the Revolver with a chain and wing emblem attached to the end . " Final Fantasy Type - 0 " . Soldiers armed with gunblade - like weapons appear . The weapons appear to be based on rifles and bear a large blade extending from the barrel like a bayonet . " " . Aimee wields a large , white bird - shaped rifle called the Guncleaver . Non - " Final Fantasy " guest appearances . Squall , under the name Leon , uses his trademark Revolver , sans the Griever etching as it had in " Final Fantasy VIII " . When charged up , the Revolver will emit an aura of blue energy , making it similar to the Lion Heart . Two are associated with Leon , the and the , the former taking its name from the gunblade and the latter being based on the Revolver in design . " " . A gunblade appears as a weapon that the uses . Upon his defeat Aya Brea can use the weapon as one of her secret weapons if certain objectives are met . It is aptly named " gunblade " . In popular culture . In the fanmade CG movie series , " Dead Fantasy " , Rinoa Heartilly wields a black gunblade called the Vanishing Star . It features a revolver gun component with dual triggers and a blade with a white feather and the words " Vanishing Star " inscribed upon it . An actual gun barrel atop the weapon ' s blade , as well as exhaust ports on the blade itself , suggest it can be used as a ranged weapon . On said gun barrel the words " All Existence Denied " are inscribed : a quote of Ultimecia in the final battle of " Final Fantasy VIII " . Rinoa wields it one - handed in a similar style to the Chinese Dao sword . When not in use it has a belt holster it can attach to on the wielder ' s hip . In the Dion Rogers ' Rinoa concept design , she wields a gunblade that has 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 . Lightning ' s Blazefire Saber is on a weapons rack among other weapons and guns in a live action video commercial for PlayStation , titled " Michael " - PS3 Long Live Play . Lightning herself is listening to a story told by Nathan Drake from the " Uncharted " series . The " Igknight " archtype of monsters in the " Yu - Gi - Oh ! " trading card game wield gunblades based on various types of real - life firearm with blade attachments . " Igknight Squire " in particular wields a weapon that highly resembles Squall ' s Revolver . The Japanese text of the cards explicitly refers to the weapons of the Igknights as gunblades . One equippable item in the highly popular PC MOBA " League of Legends " is the Hextech Gunblade , which bears some similarities in appearance to Squall ' s Lion Heart but has a slightly larger and aqua green blade . Classified as a mythical item , it grants an attack boost but also boosts ability power ( AP , used to amplify certain abilities ' effects ) . It also grants Life Steal , a Drain - type passive ability , and Spell Vamp , which increases the Drain effect when using abilities . Last but not least , it grants a unique ability shot that can not only deal damage and slow , but has a cooldown that can be reduced by landing auto - attacks and single - target abilities on champions . In a further " FFVIII " reference , one of the items required to create the Hextech Gunblade is the Hextech Revolver , which borrows its name from Squall ' s initial weapon . Merchandise . " Final Fantasy Master Arms " include miniaturized replicas of both Squall ' s Revolver and Seifer ' s Hyperion . The Lion Heart model is included in the Play Arts Arms set along with four other ultimate weapons . Scaled replicas of Squall ' s and Lightning ' s iconic weapons have been featured with every figurine of the characters regardless of what media or game the figure is portraying .