Fusion Sword

The Fusion Sword is a six-piece sword assembly wielded by Cloud Strife. Cloud uses the base sword and the others in its set as his preferred weapon in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, the sequel film to Final Fantasy VII, as well as in spin-off titles. When Cloud wears his Cloudy Wolf "alternate outfit" in spin-off appearances, he wields the Fusion Sword rather than the Buster Sword.
==Characteristics==
The Fusion Sword is composed of six swords that assemble into a single large sword with a shape identical to the Buster Sword. The individual swords consist of the main blade, a hollow front blade, a pair of back blades, and a pair of side blades. Cloud carries the weapons in a harness on his back, the handles emerging from the sides for him to reach behind him and draw them. The harness only has slots for four blades in Advent Children, but in other media and merchandise, it usually has six slots to hold the full set. Cloud's motorcycle, the Fenrir, has compartments along the front wheel assembly that store the six swords while he is driving. 
Over the course of events in Advent Children, Cloud wields the various swords in different combinations, as individual weapons and partially assembled into the Fusion Sword. Cloud is able to perform many of his Limit Breaks when wielding the swords. It is unclear to what extent the individual swords, and the various states of assembly the Fusion Sword goes through, augment the strength of Cloud's attacks or the weapon's cutting and crushing power. At points when Cloud connects additional swords to the main blade, the assembly briefly glows a green-blue color, but this is inconsistent and there is no glow when Cloud disconnects a sword from the assembly.
The individual weapons are not named, and are usually identified by a numerical designation, such as Final Fantasy Record Keeper calling the main blade and the hollow blade, "1st Fusion Sword" and "2nd Fusion Sword', respectively. The film's creative designer, Takayuki Takaya, has stated the individual swords are nameless, and no other names have been put forth by the creators other than "Fusion Swords", which was used during development.Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children -Reunion Files- p.078 With the weapon being featured and named in other titles, "Fusion Sword" has come to be used as the proper name for the completed weapon.
==The swords==
===Main blade===
The main blade is the core of the Fusion Sword onto which the other blades connect. It consists of a long hilt wrapped in a red material, a large handguard, and a wide double-edged blade with a thinner center section. The main blade is able to bisect down the middle and pull apart lengthwise, revealing internal mechanisms.
Cloud wields the main blade as his primary weapon through Advent Children, both by itself and with other components of the Fusion Sword connected to it. He first uses it in the wastelands around Midgar to fend off Loz, Yazoo, and their Shadow Creepers.
===Hollow blade===
The hollow blade forms the front of the completed assembly. As its name suggests, it is hollow and forms a "V" shape save for the top and bottom of the blade. Its handle is divided in two to allow it to slide over the main blade during assembly. Despite this unusual construction the blade is sturdy enough to wield as a proper weapon, and is able to deflect gunfire and blows from Sephiroth's Masamune.
Cloud wields the hollow blade during the battle with Loz and Yazoo at the City of the Ancients when he is temporarily disarmed of the main blade, and dual-wields both of them when he regains it. He ejects the hollow blade from the completed Fusion Sword to dual-wield again when fighting Sephiroth.
===Back blades===
The back blades are two mirrored, saw-toothed edge long swords with angular tips and long black hilts. They attach to the main blade's sides with the saw-toothed edge side pointed toward the hollow blade, completing the Fusion Swords' trapezoidal silhouette.
Cloud wielded the two back blades in the battle with Bahamut SIN. He initially wielded one of them as an off-hand weapon to complement the main blade with the connected hollow blade, and later connected this back blade to the main blade. The second back blade was not wielded on its own, and was kept in Cloud's harness until he connected it to the main blade shortly before dealing the final blow to Bahamut SIN.
===Side blades===
The side blades are identical mirror image swords. They are significantly smaller and shorter than the other four, with a gear mechanism that allows the handle to be folded up. It is in this configuration that they attach to the sides of the main blade with the hollow blade and back blades already in place, completing the assembly. 
After the battle with Bahamut SIN, Cloud wielded the side blades as off-hand weapons during the pursuit of Kadaj and his brothers through Midgar's highway, and then during the battle with Kadaj. He attached the side blades to the main assembly when dealing the final blow to Kadaj.
==Omnislash Version 5==
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The Fusion Sword is closely associated with the Limit Break Cloud performs at the end of Advent Children, "Omnislash Version 5" . This attack separates the Fusion Sword into its individual components, the main blade floating above Cloud's opponent while the other five swords surround them in a circle. Cloud quickly moves past his opponent and slashes them with one of the swords, then takes hold of another and repeats the process for each blade. As he moves, a gold after-image of Cloud is left holding each sword. For the final blow Cloud rises above the opponent to take hold of the main blade and dives to attack, creating a shockwave that disperses the after-images. Cloud lands with the five auxiliary swords descending around him, and he reaches up to take hold of the main blade as it falls into his hand.
When Cloud has had Omnislash Version 5 in spin-off appearances, its depiction varies due to variance in how and if the game replicates the Fusion Sword's separation during the attack. In Dissidia, Cloud can use Omnislash Version 5 as a normal attack in any of his outfits with any weapon, and merely dashes past his opponent attacking five times and ending with a finishing leap. In Opera Omnia, when using his Omnislash Version 5 Burst, Cloud will perform the attack using the Fusion Sword regardless of his currently equipped weapon, and it uses an animation identical to Advent Children.
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In Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete, Cloud defeats Sephiroth using a different version of Omnislash Version 5; this attack has no official name, but was dubbed "Omnislash Version 6" by the fanbase, keeping with Omnislash Version 5 being the fifth version of the attack designed during production. The primary differences from Omnislash Version 5 are that Cloud glows blue when performing it rather than gold, as he does when performing his other Limit Breaks in the film, and rather than the final blow dispersing the after-images, the after-images land holding the swords along with Cloud and then disperse. Cloud also deals additional attacks during the sequence when wielding the auxiliary swords, and four of his after-images deal additional attacks as he dives to deliver the final blow.
==Other appearances==
===Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-===
Cloud wields the main blade during the assault on Midgar, and uses it to battle Rosso the Crimson.
===Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy===
While wearing his Cloudy Wolf alternate outfit, Cloud wields the main blade as his main weapon, and wields the completed assembly in EX Mode. The Fusion Swords glow blue when Cloud uses an HP attack similar to the way they glow in Advent Children, as opposed to Cloud's normal outfit where the Buster Sword glows orange.
====Dissidia Final Fantasy NT====
The Fusion Sword is one of Cloud's unlockable weapons, and is based on the weapon from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. It is a random reward for redeeming a Treasure token, and is purchased from the Shop for 7,200 Gil. Like all other characters' weapons, having it equipped carries no advantages or disadvantages.
In the Story Mode for the PlayStation 4 version, Cloud wields the Fusion Sword over his standard Buster Sword. This is likely because when Cloud was summoned into World B by Materia, it was during the events of Advent Children.
====Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia====
===Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call===
Cloud's Advent Children version wields the Fusion Sword in his character model.
===Pictlogica Final Fantasy===
PFF Fusion Sword Icon.png|Rank 5 icon.
PFF Fusion Sword Icon 2.png|Rank 6 icon.
PFF Fusion Sword Icon 3.png|Rank 7 icon.
===Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade===
FFAB Fusion Sword 2nd SR.png|Fusion Sword 2nd (SR).
FFAB Fusion Sword 3rd SR.png|Fusion Sword 3rd (SR).
FFAB Fusion Sword 4th SR.png|Fusion Sword 4th (SR).
FFAB Fusion Sword 2nd SR+.png|Fusion Sword 2nd (SR+).
FFAB Fusion Sword 3rd SR+.png|Fusion Sword 3rd (SR+).
FFAB Fusion Sword 4th SR+.png|Fusion Sword 4th (SR+).
FFAB Fusion Sword 1st SSR.png|Fusion Sword 1st (SSR).
FFAB Fusion Sword 1st SSR+.png|Fusion Sword 1st (SSR+).
FFAB Fusion Sword 1st UR.png|Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade (UR).
FFAB Fusion Sword UR.png|Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade (UR).
FFAB First Tsurugi UR+.png|Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade (UR+).
FFAB Fusion Sword UUR+.png|Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade (UUR+).
FFAB Fusion Sword CR.png|Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade (CR).
===Final Fantasy Record Keeper===
The completed Fusion Sword, and the main blade and hollow blade, appear as weapons for Cloud. 
===Final Fantasy Explorers===
===Final Fantasy Brave Exvius===
The Fusion Sword is obtainable as a Super Trust Master Reward from Cloud in his Advent Children appearance, known as "Cloud (FFVII: AC)". It's a Great Sword that provides 190 ATK, and has the Passive "Limit Break Version 5", which increases in 50% the damage output of a Limit Burst. If "Cloud (FFVII: AC)" has the Fusion Sword equipped (or his materia obtainable from his Trust Master Reward) upgrades his own Limit Burst, duplicating the damage before being executed.
==Non-Final Fantasy guest appearances==
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Cloud's weapon in Kingdom Hearts II is the completed assembly, although it is wrapped in bandages like the Buster Sword in the first Kingdom Hearts game, and is named "Buster Sword B". Cloud never fragments it into its individual swords, although he presumably could. He uses it in all his battles.
The is based on Cloud's Fusion Swords and takes inspiration from Cloud's Fenrir motorcycle, being the first Keyblade in the series to be based on a modern pin tumbler lock key, as would be used for motorcycles. The Keyblade is given by Tifa after Sora defeats Sephiroth and witnesses his battle with Cloud.
The completed Fusion Swords appears as an "Avatar Part" in Kingdom Hearts Mobile and Kingdom Hearts Union Cross X Dark Road, and as well as its spiritual successor in Kingdom Hearts Re:coded.
FenrirKeyblade.png|The Fenrir Keyblade.
===Super Smash Bros.===
The Fusion Sword is Cloud's weapon in his Cloudy Wolf alternate outfits. He usually wields the sword in its completed assembly in a manner identical to the Buster Sword. As of version 10.1.0 of Ultimate, when Sephiroth was added to the game as a DLC character, Cloud's Final Smash in his Cloudy Wolf outfits has him use Omnislash Ver. 5 instead of the normal Omnislash, and he separates the Fusion Sword when using it. Due to balance purposes of making the damage of Cloud's Final Smash identical across all his outfits, Omnislash Ver. 5 is a rapid series of dashing slash attacks with the various swords for a total of fifteen hits.
==Behind the scenes==
In early promo footage, Cloud fights Kadaj in a scene that became the climax battle, using the Buster Sword.
In the Reunion Files book for Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Director Tetsuya Nomura joked about choosing to give Cloud six swords due to the comments that had been made over the Buster Sword's size; "people joked that since Cloud went with size last time, he should go with sheer numbers this time". The original idea was for Cloud to have six individual swords he would carry on his back. According to Takayuki Takaya, the idea for the swords combining wasn't initially intended, but was suggested as a passing thought at first. At the time the crew did not believe the idea could actually be implemented, but it was an interesting feature to use in the fight scenes.
Due to a misunderstanding of a transcription of Tetsuya Nomura's words in the DVD commentary the fully assembled form came to be known as the First Tsurugi in the English-speaking fandom; this was "first ken", not "tsurugi", and referred only to the base sword to which the others attach.
==Merchandise==
As Cloud's signature weapon in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, the Fusion Swords are included in several models and action figures, almost always as an assembled construct and not as the individual blades. The sword is included with Cloud's "Play Arts" figure both by itself and including the motorcycle Fenrir. One such figure erroneously names the Fusion Swords as the Buster Sword, but most others do not name the swords. The Cloud Play Arts Kai action figure released at April 2015 includes the disassembled swords, which cannot be assembled, alongside a fully assembled one.
For a brief time there was an unofficial replica sword composed of four separate swords instead of six (only one back blade, with the hollow blade and the main blade joined as one). Only 44 inches long and seven inches wide, it was not to scale. Now hard to find, this replica is still sought by collectors.
Cloud's amiibo with his Advent Children outfit has the Fusion Swords.
==Gallery==
Buster sword(AC version)2.jpg|Completed Fusion Sword.
AdventScreenshot245.jpg|Partially-formed Fusion Sword and one "Side Blade".
AdventScreenshot247.jpg|Fully-formed Fusion Sword.
AdventScreenshot272.jpg|Fusion Swords following the Omnislash Version 5.
Dissidia-FirstTsurugi.png|The main blade in Dissidia Final Fantasy.
DFFOO Fusion Sword (VII).png|Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia.
Theatrhythm CC Cloud.png|Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call.
FFRK 1st Fusion Sword Sprite.png|Final Fantasy Record Keeper sprite.
Fusion Sword Components SSBU Render.png|Individual Fusion Swords in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
==Etymology==
==Citations==
Category:Weapons in the Final Fantasy VII series
Category:Signature weapons
Category:Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Category:Swords
Category:Greatswords