A large broadsword that has inherited the hopes of those who fight.
Description
The Buster Sword is Cloud's default weapon in Final Fantasy VII Remake. It starts with two materia slots, and teaches Cloud the Focused Thrust ability, which deals moderate damage but significantly raises enemies' stagger. As an initial weapon, the Buster Sword has mixed, well-rounded stats that improve Cloud both as a mage and a physical attacker, while also improving his durability.
The buster sword is Cloud's iconic weapon from the original game, and as such is used as something of a default sword model for the game. The kids in the Sector 5 Slums use smaller wooden swords in the shape of the buster sword, and if Cloud is transformed into a toad, he has a miniature buster sword on his back as part of his model, though the miniature is not usable as a weapon.
Upgrades[]
Materia slots[]
| Materia slots purchased |
Minimum Weapon Level |
Slots |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 
|
| 1 | 3 | 
|
| 2 | 4 |
|
| 3 | 5 |
|
| 4 | 6 |
|
| 5 | 6 |
|
| 6 | 6 |
|
Skills[]
| Buster Sword Core - Weapon Level: 1 - Required SP: 4 | ||
|---|---|---|
| ATK Up | Attack Power +5 | Increases attack power attribute. |
| MATK Up | Magic Attack Power +5 | Increases magic attack power attribute. |
| Max HP Up | Max HP +100 | Increases maximum HP. |
| Enhanced Punisher | Punisher Mode Strong Attack Damage 5% Boost | Increases damage dealt by strong attacks in punisher mode. |
| Buster Sword Sub-Core I - Weapon Level: 2 - Required SP: 6 | ||
|---|---|---|
| ATK Up | Attack Power +8 | Increases attack power attribute. |
| MATK Up | Magic Attack Power +8 | Increases magic attack power attribute. |
| DEF Up | Defense +5 | Increases defense attribute. |
| MDEF Up | Magic Defense +5 | Increases magic defense attribute. |
| Buster Sword Sub-Core II - Weapon Level: 3 - Required SP: 8 | ||
|---|---|---|
| ATK Up | Attack Power +8 | Increases attack power attribute. |
| MATK Up | Magic Attack Power +8 | Increases magic attack power attribute. |
| Max HP Up | Max HP +150 | Increases maximum HP. |
| Max MP Up | Max MP +6 | Increases maximum MP. |
| MP Recovery Up | MP Regeneration 10% Boost | Slightly increases MP regeneration speed during battle. |
| Needs More Materia | New Materia Slot | Adds an additional materia slot or links two existing slots. |
| Buster Sword Sub-Core III - Weapon Level: 4 - Required SP: 12 | ||
|---|---|---|
| ATK Up | Attack Power +16 | Increases attack power attribute. |
| MATK Up | Magic Attack Power +16 | Increases magic attack power attribute. |
| DEF Up | Defense +6 | Increases defense attribute. |
| MDEF Up | Magic Defense +6 | Increases magic defense attribute. |
| Max HP Up | Max HP +150 | Increases maximum HP. |
| Needs More Materia | New Materia Slot | Adds an additional materia slot or links two existing slots. |
| Buster Sword Sub-Core IV - Weapon Level: 5 - Required SP: 14 | ||
|---|---|---|
| ATK Up | Attack Power +16 | Increases attack power attribute. |
| MATK Up | Magic Attack Power +16 | Increases magic attack power attribute. |
| Max HP Up | Max HP +200 | Increases maximum HP. |
| Max MP Up | Max MP +10 | Increases maximum MP |
| Enhanced Limit Breaks | Limit Break Damage 5% Boost | Increases damage dealt by limit breaks. |
| Needs More Materia | New Materia Slot | Adds an additional materia slot or links two existing slots. |
| Buster Sword Sub-Core V - Weapon Level: 6 - Required SP: 16 | ||
|---|---|---|
| ATK Up | Attack Power +16 | Increases attack power attribute. |
| MATK Up | Magic Attack Power +16 | Increases magic attack power attribute. |
| Max HP Up | Max HP +200 | Increases maximum HP. |
| Needs More Materia | New Materia Slot | Adds an additional materia slot or links two existing slots. |
| Needs More Materia | New Materia Slot | Adds an additional materia slot or links two existing slots. |
| Needs More Materia | New Materia Slot | Adds an additional materia slot or links two existing slots. |
Use[]
The Buster Sword is a balanced, general-purpose weapon for Cloud, with well-rounded stats. Both when obtained and when fully upgraded, it provides an equal boost to 
Attack Power and 
Magic Attack, which surpass most of his weapons, and moderate stats to improve his durability. Its unlock abilities include a +10% boost to Cloud's MP regeneration, and a +5% boost to his limit break damage.
Though the Buster Sword is a versatile weapon suitable for any situation, it also does not excel in any area. The weapon has slow materia slot growth, being capped at four before reaching Weapon Level 6, meaning it is more limiting initially than the 
Twin Stinger or Iron Blade at comparable levels. Though Buster Sword's attack and magic attack bonuses are high, Hardedge provides significantly higher attack power, while Mythril Saber provides significantly higher magic attack. Both Hardedge and Mythril Saber also have weapon ability unlocks that improve Cloud in physical and magical damage roles, respectively. The Buster Sword's weapon upgrade abilities are also unremarkable, making the weapon fairly standard.
Equipping the Buster Sword does not lock Cloud into a role, but it also does not excel in any role either. It can be used by players who wish to take advantage of Cloud's physical damage abilities, while not wishing to make too many compromises. For players that still want Cloud's versatility, but lean towards using his magic spells rather than physical abilities, the Twin Stinger is a better option.
Behind the scenes[]
The Buster Sword's description, "a large broadsword that has inherited the hopes of those who fight", is a reference to its previous wielders, Zack Fair and Angeal Hewley. It also references one of the battle theme "Those Who Fight".
In the game's ending, Zack has the sword when he brings Cloud to Midgar, and how it came to Cloud's possession is not shown.
The Buster Sword appears in the title screen. 
Most kids in the "Kids on Patrol" odd job in the Sector 5 Slums also have a wooden replica of the buster sword without the materia slots. 
Merchandise[]
Cloud has his Buster Sword in his Play Arts Kai figures, of which various versions have been released. A digital clock also exists with an alarm feature, modeled to resemble the title screen.
Etymology[]
The word "buster" means a person who breaks up something, e.g. crime busters, or something big or unusual for its kind. It derives from the verb "bust".
A sword is a blade weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration. A sword in the most narrow sense consists of a straight blade with two edges and a hilt. However, in nearly every case, the term may also be used to refer to weapons with a single edge (backsword).
The term "buster sword" may also be a corruption of the term "bastard sword", used to describe large two-handed swords in 17th century Europe.
It may also be a reference to the supposed rain-making device "cloudbuster", created by Wilhelm Reich.