Game:Squall Leonhart

Kingdom Hearts
''A swordsman who wields the gunblade. His real name: Squall Leonhart. He escaped to Traverse Town when the Heartless raided his home world. To part with his old self, a man who had been helpless to stop them, he changed his name. Since meeting the king, who has been so vigilant against the Heartless, Leon has sought the truth behind the "key". "Final Fantasy VIII"''

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
''A cool and collected swordsman who wields a gunblade. His real name: Squall Leonhart.''

Leon once fought with Sora against the Heartless, but the Leon we met in Castle Oblivion is a product of his memory, so he can't remember much of what happened before.

Kingdom Hearts II
''A swordsman who carries a gunblade. His real name is Squall Leonhart. He took the name Leon to distance himself from his past self - the man who stood helpless as Heartless invaded his home.''

''For some time he took refuge in a different town, but thanks in part to Sora's help, Leon was able to reclaim this, his hometown. Now he works tirelessly towards its restoration.''

Appearances

 * Traverse Town
 * Olympus Coliseum

First confrontation
Sora first encounters Leon in Traverse Town, after exploring the place and going into the Accessory Shop for the first time. Here, Leon's attacks are rather basic - he does a few occasional slashes and casts fireballs towards Sora every now and then, but each attack deals substantial damage to Sora (considering that Sora's stats are low and the game has just begun).

It is recommended that Sora train to Level 15 and above; the Scan and Guard abilities would come in handy too - Guard should be used to fend off the fireballs. Also, do not be shy about using the Keyblade: attack and block Leon's slashes while you can. One advantage of this battle is that you have the entire First District as a battlefield, so when you are out of Leon's reach and your HP is depleting, use a Potion quickly.

Should you fail in this battle, don't fret - the outcome is more or less the same, whether you win or lose.

One very useful strategy is to keep your distance and wait for Leon to fire a fireball. You can attack to deflect it, doing damage and stunning Leon. You can then hit him with a combo without fear of getting hit, then retreat and repeat the process.

Pegasus Cup
Leon and Yuffie appear as the first seed in the Pegasus Cup, and Leon's abilities improve significantly here. Start by defeating Yuffie first, as she has less HP, and then concentrate on Leon.

This time, apart from the occasional slashes and fireballs, Leon goes into Limit Break mode when he has less than half of his HP left (i.e. when his Gunblade becomes longer and has a blue glow to it), making him more difficult to defeat. Furthermore, while Leon is in Limit Break mode, his attacks become more powerful. You may use melee attacks on him while he is not in Limit Break mode, and as in the previous encounter, fend off the fireballs with Guard.

While he is in Limit Break mode, there are a few instances where he will walk (note: walk, not run) towards Sora and attack him. This is the cue for Sora to use Guard to fend off his attacks. When several Guards are performed successfully, Leon's Limit Break stops and he has to power up. This move may be time-consuming, but it does give Sora more experience everytime he deflects Leon's attacks.

When Leon runs towards Sora and plunges the Gunblade into the ground, it is best to attack Leon from the back. Continue doing so until Leon's HP is depleted. As in the previous encounter, do not be shy about using the Keyblade, because Leon can now heal when his HP is running out. Do also remember to heal when necessary.

It should be noted that Leon uses the same strategy in the Hades Cup, except that instead of Yuffie, Leon's combat partner is Cloud. Here, it is advisable to defeat Leon first before concentrating on Cloud.