Of gunblades, the finest model is the Lion Heart. It requires rare items to be remodeled to its highest quality.
Weapon's Monthly Magazine
The Lion Heart (ライオンハート, Raionhāto?) (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 large gunblade with a blue blade with a gradient from dark blue at the edge to white near the middle of the blade. The handle is silver and black, and is modeled after the Griever emblem, a lion carved on the side and a wing protrusion emerging from the top. In Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XIII, the Lion Heart is gold in coloration.
Appearances
Final Fantasy VIII
Template:Sideicon 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. Items required to remodel a gunblade to Lion Heart are one Adamantine, four Dragon Fangs and twelve Pulse Ammo rounds. The cost of the upgrade is 2000 gil.
| Cost | 2000 |
|---|---|
| Limit Breaks | Rough Divide, Fated Circle, Blasting Zone, Lion Heart |
| Description | Of gunblades, the finest model is the Lion Heart. It requires rare items to be remodeled to its highest quality. An excerpt of this model is mentioned in the First Issue of the Weapons Monthly Magazine. |
Though time-consuming, the necessary ingredients and GF Abilities can be amassed before the end of Disc 1. Once obtained, the Lion Heart can be made in any Junk Shop regardless of whether one has read Weapons Monthly, 1st Issue.
Final Fantasy X
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- Cost: 100,000 (Variable Steel)
- Abilities: Double Overdrive
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 XIII
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Once the weapon of a l'Cie, this gunblade allows instant staggering of enemies near their stagger threshold.
Description
The Lionheart is a model of gunblade obtainable by Lightning at the beginning of Chapter 12. 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 a valuable weapon. Its upgraded version is the Ultima Weapon.
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
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Sword wielded by knights of a legendary king.
In-game description
The Lionheart appears as a Knight Sword for Paladins, Templars and Defenders. It has 34 Attack, 2 Defense, 1 Magic Resistance, and teaches Paladins and Defenders the Defense ability. It can be bought at the shop.
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
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A sword wielded by knights loyal to a hero-king of old.
Description
Lion Heart 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 the ability Defend to the Paladin and Defender.
Dissidia Final Fantasy
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Squall Leonhart wields the Lion Heart in his EX Mode. Wielding the Lion Heart gives Squall the abilities "Lion Heart (RANGE)" and "Lion Heart (HIT)." The range boost increases the range of all 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, five Unshelled Bullets and five Bless Orbs. 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
Template:Sideicon Squall again wields the Lion Heart as his EX Mode weapon, with its effects unchanged. The Lion Heart is also retained as his Level 100 weapon.
Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade
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Non-Final Fantasy Appearances
Kingdom Hearts series
A Keyblade called the Lionheart can be obtained by defeating Cloud and Leon (Squall) in the Hades Cup. It has high attack power, increases Sora's max MP, and increases his magic and summoning 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 Sleeping Lion can be acquired in Kingdom Hearts II from Leon in Hollow Bastion before the second visit to Space Paranoids. 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 and not the Lion Heart, and use Squall's 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 bright blue and gold aura, which makes it appear similar to the Lion Heart.
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Merchandise
The Lion Heart is included in the Play Arts Arms set along with four other ultimate weapons. However, its blade is not blue like in its other appearances, but metallic-gray like the Revolver.
Gallery
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Etymology
Lion Heart means to possess or display courage, being able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching.
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.
Trivia
- 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.
- The Ras Algethi gun in Final Fantasy XII 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.
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