Summary
- Final Fantasy 7 introduced guns to the series in 1997, adding a variety of gun-wielding heroes and villains.
- Characters like Prompto, Yuna, and King showcase strong gun skills in various Final Fantasy games.
- Vincent, Barret, and Rufus also exhibit impressive gun abilities in different Final Fantasy titles.
It took a while for guns to get introduced in Final Fantasy. For most of the NES and SNES games, the best-ranged weapons were typically bows or maybe crossbows. Final Fantasy 7 changed this by adding a plethora of hero and villain characters who used guns which made sense since it was supposed to mirror the modern era of 1997.
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Since then, there have been a lot of gunslingers in the Final Fantasy games and other media spinoffs from anime to books. Who among them have the best guns? Let’s rank the gun skills of these characters and not focus too much on any of their other qualities.
8 Prompto (Final Fantasy 15)
Smile And Shoot
Final Fantasy 15
- Released
- November 9, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Language, Mild Blood, Partial Nudity, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Prompto is from Final Fantasy 15 and is one of the four party members in the game with Noctis being the lead. While Prompto has a goofy personality and seemingly loves shooting a camera more than a gun, he is good support in the game.
His power level is shown better in his DLC episode where he is the only playable character and has a few different moves to pull off as an action hero and as a stealth master. He’s definitely not the strongest gunslinger in the series but Prompto gets the job done.
7 Yuna (Final Fantasy 10-2)
From Summoner To Gunner
Final Fantasy X-2
- Released
- November 18, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
Yuna started as a powerful Summoner in Final Fantasy 10 but she hung up her staff in favor of picking up two guns in the sequel. Final Fantasy 10-2 is a sillier game overall with Yuna and her two squad mates being able to switch different Jobs via Dresspheres.
Yuna begins as a Gunner, sporting two pistols with quite a few powered-up techniques to make enemies dance. There’s another gun-based Job too, the Gun Mage, but no matter which one Yuna equips, she’s a skilled master of bullets.
6 King (Final Fantasy Type-0)
An Ace Cadet
Final Fantasy Type-0
- Released
- October 27, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
King is one of the many playable characters in Final Fantasy Type-0 which is based around a military academy. Each student has a different weapon of choice and King favors wielding two guns and his moves are definitely slick.
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As an action RPG, players can immediately get a sense of King’s strength as he’s quick on his feet and can take down enemies from a distance with ease. Another stronger gunner in the game is Cater although she’s more like a magic gunner.
5 Irvine (Final Fantasy 8)
A Sniper With Nerves
Final Fantasy 8
- Released
- February 11, 1999
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Irvine talks a big game in Final Fantasy 8 but when it comes to his big sniper mission, he chickens out. Despite his shot nerves, Irvine is still a strong party member who favors using shotguns. There are Limit Breaks in the game and his are called Shots.
Players can buy and craft special ammo to make him stronger in battle and if players time their triggers right, they can deal a massive amount of damage. Laguna deserves a shoutout as well as a temporary party member with a killer machine gun.
4 Vincent (Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy 7)
Three Barrels Of Fun
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy 7
- Released
- August 15, 2006
- ESRB
- Teen // Mild Language, Use of Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Action RPG
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 2
Vincent is a secret party member in Final Fantasy 7 but he has since been canonized into the lore. While not playable in the remake series yet, fans can assuredly look forward to playing him in the final game since he did technically join the party in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
While strong in the original game, Vincent really flexed his skills in his solo spinoff, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy 7. Cerberus is the name of his gun and players could put different modules onto it to create pistols, shotguns, and sniper rifles all of which make Vincent a versatile character.
3 Barret (Final Fantasy 7 Remake)
A One Armed Cannon
Final Fantasy 7 Remake
- Released
- April 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen due to Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix Business Division 1
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Barret is also from Final Fantasy 7 and he has one of the coolest weapons in the series. A tragic accident left Barret without an arm, so a Gatling Gun was attached which always looked cool but its power was better demonstrated in the remakes.
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For example, in Final Fantasy 7 Remake Barret can break through concrete with just his gun arm which is an incredible feat of strength. All of the models and special techniques he can learn between that game and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth clearly show this freedom fighter is not disabled in the least.
2 Rufus (Final Fantasy 7 Remake)
Beware The Coins
Rufus is the last character from Final Fantasy 7 worth mentioning and he’s a villain. Players will have just one boss battle in the original game which is easy enough but in Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, his encounters are a lot tougher to deal with.
The remakes showcase why he is the leader of The Turks as he wields two shotguns and can keep players in their place thanks to his fast reflexes. His trick coin shots are the deadliest and fans would assuredly love to play with him in the final remake although that probably won’t happen.
1 Kaze (Final Fantasy: Unlimited)
Soil Boy
- Director: Mahiro Maeda
- Studio: Gonzo
- Released: October 2, 2001 (Japan)
- Episodes: 25
For the final entry, things are going to go a bit off track because Kaze is from the original anime series, Final Fantasy: Unlimited. He’s dressed similarly to Vincent and even talks as much which is to say very little.
This mysterious gunslinger is also a Summoner and uses special soil bullets in his gun to create familiar creatures like Ifrit and Titan. A gun that fires Summons? That sounds like something Yuna should have had. This alone makes Kaze the best gunman in the series and it’s a shame he’s a bit more forgotten now.
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