The character design of Final Fantasy VII’s Cloud Strife is typically recognizable by either his gravity-defying spiky hair or his iconic Buster Sword. The latter remains the protagonist’s go-to weapon against the megacorporation Shinra and the fallen hero Sephiroth.
While there are numerous iconic weapons in Square Enix’s Final Fantasy franchise, Cloud’s Buster Sword is arguably the most recognizable. Cloud’s default weapon features heavily in the original Final Fantasy VII, its expansive Compilation titles (prequels and sequels) and now the Final Fantasy VII Remake.
A Franchise Ambassador
The Buster Sword is an enormous, single-edged broadsword that contains two small holes for holding materia (orbs of concentrated spiritual energy, or mako, which enables magic). Despite the apparent ease with which Cloud swings the sword in battle (and precariously above his head during his victory routine), the sword is unwieldy, requiring extraordinary strength to lift.
Although the sword received a sharp makeover in the wider Compilation, introducing more ornate details, it has remained, by and large, relatively simple in design. Its simplicity is part of its charm, making it easy to identify even from a silhouette. It is so iconic that it makes frequent appearances both within the wider Final Fantasy franchise (including a fake in Final Fantasy XII’s Gilgamesh’s assortment of swords) and as far beyond as Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. franchise.
A Living Legacy
What the Buster Sword represents is important to Cloud’s sense of self. As a mercenary, Cloud uses his Buster Sword to slash through Shinra troops so the eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE can teach the greedy, planet-killing organization a lesson. However, there exists internal strife within Cloud’s mind. The ex-SOLDIER persona under which Cloud joined the terrorist group—the very identity and title linked with the sword itself—was not entirely his own. Despite Cloud’s childhood dreams of becoming a member of Shinra's elite SOLDIER team, he only managed to become a regular infantryman. Following intense trauma, Cloud subconsciously appropriated the memories from his deceased friend, the First Class SOLDIER Zack Fair, who held the Buster Sword before Cloud.
It has a far deeper lore than that. In the prequel game Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, it is revealed that Zack’s mentor, Angeal Hewley, was its first owner. To him, the sword is a cherished family heirloom so important that he desperately avoids using the weapon since use “brings about wear, tear and rust.” The sword also symbolizes Angeal’s ideals of martial honor (a reflection of the traditional Japanese Bushido code). Angeal believes himself impure and incapable of the honor of a warrior (since his body contains cells of the alien entity Jenova). Consequently, he entrusts the weapon to the newly promoted Zack.
Zack carries on the legacy of the Buster Sword but is forced to turn against the organization he worked for when it becomes clear that honor is a low priority for Shinra. After a series of traumatic events, Zack escapes from the Shinra organization carrying his friend, an injured and mentally unstable Cloud, but is gunned down by a troop of infantrymen. Dying, Zack hands Cloud the Buster Sword so that he can become his “living legacy,” thus giving birth to Cloud’s SOLDIER persona. Believing himself to have been a SOLDIER, Cloud achieves the remarkable feats seen in the original Final Fantasy VII and its Remake.
Outside of the lore, the Buster Sword is an iconic part of Final Fantasy's iconography. An image of the sword standing alone serves as the original game’s menu screen, and the game’s cutscenes and minigames feature it prominently. While the Buster Sword can be swapped out for other weapons in Final Fantasy VII, it remains the canon sword used by Cloud Strife throughout the original game. Sure, players might choose to equip him with a Nail Bat, but from the story's perspective, Cloud is always wielding the Buster Sword.
Not only is the Buster Sword physically heavy, but it is demonstrably weighty in symbolism. It embodies the plot itself: the transference of honor, strength and friendship, all of which are required to save the world. With the Remake’s shock twist ending, the precise direction of the reimagined plot is unknown. It is curious to contemplate where the legacy of the Buster Sword might take Cloud next and if the symbol, as established by the Compilation, will endure.