10 Weird Origins Behind Iconic Video Game Weapons
4. The Buster Sword (Final Fantasy VII)
If you like anime or Japanese video games, you've definitely come across the image of someone holding a sword about ten times too big for them. Perhaps one of the most iconic of these over-compensators is Cloud from Final Fantasy VII, whose Buster Sword is so massive and over-the-top it looks like it would bust your bones down if you even tried to lift it.
But, funnily enough, Cloud's big old sword draws inspiration from a wholly unexpected place, that being the no-holds-barred, 18+ manga series Berserk.
This series, written by the late great Kentaro Miura, is a bloody, disturbing, and often unbearable story. While it's a horrid struggle to get through at times, it's also an incredible and influential piece of media that has inspired all sorts of games, from Monster Hunter to the whole Soulsbourne genre.
The protagonist of the series is a man called Guts, who holds the Dragonslayer Sword. Described as a "large hunk of iron," this blade is colossal and inspired plenty of future media weaponry, including the Buster Sword.