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Squall Leonhart is the main protagonist of the landmark RPG Final Fantasy VIII. At 17 years old, Squall is a student at Balamb Garden, a prestigious military academy for elite mercenaries.
In terms of appearance, Squall is a bishonen with short brown hair and dark blue eyes. A scar runs diagonally across his face; he received it at the beginning of the game in a training duel against his rival Seifer Almasy, and left Seifer with a similar scar in return. Squall usually wears a distinctive jacket with its collar trimmed in white fur. He also wears a silver pendant in the shape of a stylized lion's head. The pendant, which Squall calls the "Griever", seems to be symbolic of his angst, and takes on significance as the plot of the game progresses.
In battle, Squall wields an unusual weapon called a gunblade, a combination of sword and pistol. He and Seifer are Balamb Garden's only gunblade specialists. Squall's ultimate limit break, Lionheart, is the most powerful attack in the game.
Final Fantasy VIII's storyline is unusually character-driven for a video game; the story is arguably more about Squall's emotional growth than about defeating the final boss. At the beginning of the game, Squall is taciturn, moody and withdrawn, and harshly pushes away those who attempt to get close to him. Over the course of the game, the causes of Squall's angst are explored. As a result of his friendships with Quistis Trepe, Zell Dincht, Selphie Tilmitt and Irvine Kinneas, and especially his growing romance with Rinoa Heartilly, he gradually becomes more open and caring.
Squall also appears as a non-player character in Kingdom Hearts, although his look has been redesigned and he goes by the name "Leon".
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