What is the name of the iconic gunblade user in Final Fantasy VIII?

The iconic gunblade user in Final Fantasy VIII is Squall Leonhart.

Squall is the game's protagonist and begins the story as a 17-year-old student at Balamb Garden, an academy that trains SeeD mercenaries. His signature weapon, the gunblade, combines a sword with a revolver-like mechanism; pressing the trigger at the right moment boosts the impact of his strikes.

Squall's reserved personality is central to his character arc. He initially avoids emotional attachments and struggles with leadership, but his relationships with Rinoa Heartilly and the other SeeD members gradually make him more open and dependable. He eventually leads the group against the future sorceress Ultimecia.

A common mix-up is confusing Squall with Cloud Strife, another Tetsuya Nomura-designed Final Fantasy hero. Cloud uses the enormous Buster Sword in Final Fantasy VII, while Squall uses the gunblade called the Revolver. Squall also appears in the Kingdom Hearts series under the alias Leon.