Squall Leonhart

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Squall Leonhart (スコール・レオンハート Sukōru Reonhāto?) is a fictional character and the primary protagonist of Final Fantasy VIII, a role-playing video game by Square (now Square Enix). He was designed by Tetsuya Nomura, with heavy influences coming from game director Yoshinori Kitase. Squall has appeared in several other games, such as the Kingdom Hearts series, where he appears under the name Leon (レオン Reon?); Chocobo Racing; and Itadaki Street Special. His weapon, the gunblade, also appears in other works.

In Final Fantasy VIII, Squall is a 17-year old student at Balamb Garden, a prestigious military academy for elite mercenaries known as "SeeDs". As the story progresses, Squall befriends Quistis Trepe, Zell Dincht, Selphie Tilmitt and Irvine Kinneas, and falls in love with Rinoa Heartilly. These relationships, combined with developments in the game's plot, gradually turn him from a loner to an open and caring person.[3] Squall's Limit Break (special move) is Renzokuken, consisting of a series of gunblade slashes preceding a powerful finishing attack.

Squall amassed varied reactions from critics with some ranking him poorly among other Final Fantasy heroes due to his coldness and angst, whilst others praised his character development and rated him highly among others from the franchise.