Cleaver's swing animation.
- "The swordsman always has an ultimate multi-slash attack. That's me. I'm not going to be original here."
- ―Matt, Epic Battle Fantasy 4
Cleaver is a recurring Limit Break in the Epic Battle Fantasy series. It has been one of Matt's signature techniques ever since its debut in Epic Battle Fantasy 2 as his only Limit Break. In subsequent games, it has been the first Limit Break available to him.
Description
When Cleaver is used, Matt raises his sword in the air, causing it to flash briefly. Then, he dashes in front of a foe and delivers five devastating slashes before jumping back to his original position. The strikes are so powerful that they leave jagged, red-lined trails in their wake, and each blow shakes the screen slightly.
Cleaver's element depends on Matt's currently equipped weapon, and it deals heavy damage with an elevated critical hit chance. It targets a single foe, but if the target is killed before the attack is complete, Matt will automatically move to another foe and continue attacking until all of them are dead or he completes the Limit Break.
Foe Users
Epic Battle Fantasy 4
Epic Battle Fantasy 5
Epic Battle Fantasy 2
Cleaver is Matt's only Limit Break, and will be available once his Limit bar has been filled (before the EBF Collection update, it replaced the Attack command). In this game, it retargets depending on which position the previous target was at, preferring the 2nd slot if the previous target was in the 1st or 3rd slot, or the 3rd slot if the previous target was in the 2nd slot (which means it'll never retarget to the 1st slot unless no other targets are left).
| Cleaver | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (No description) | |||||||
| Target | Type | Element | Status Effect | MP | Acc | RdF | |
| Single | 
|
|
|
-- | 100% | 10% | |
| Power | Status Chance | Status Strength | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29500/5 | (100%) | (100%) |
| Skill Bonuses | |
|---|---|
| Name | Effect |
| Cleaver | 1.4x damage multiplier |
| Ultra Cleaver | 2x damage multiplier |
| Mana Leech | Recovers MP equal to 1/80 of expected damage from one hit. (No effect if Blood Blade or Rune Blade are equipped) |
| Swordbreaker | 150% chance of 20% Attack debuff (200% chance and 40% strength with Anarchy) |
Epic Battle Fantasy 3
 |
Cleaver | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limit Break! Five powerful hits on a single target, targets a new foe if the target dies. High chance of critical hits. | ||||||
| Target | Type | Element | Status Effect | Acc | Crit | RdF |
| Single |
|
|
|
150% | 50% | 20% |
| Level | Power | Status Chance | Status Strength | MP | AP Cost | |
| 1 | 200/5 | (100%) | (100%) | -- | 100 | |
| 2 | 280/5 | (100%) | (100%) | -- | 300 | |
| 3 | 360/5 | (100%) | (100%) | -- | 1000 | |
| 4 | 440/5 | (100%) | (100%) | -- | 3000 | |
| 5 | 520/5 | (100%) | (100%) | -- | 10000 | |
| Note: Bonus skills always trigger at 24% of host skill's base power. | ||||||
Epic Battle Fantasy 4
 |
Cleaver | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limit break! Element and effects depend on current weapon. High critical hit rate. Hits 5 times. | ||||||
| Target | Type | Element | Status Effect | Acc | Crit | RdF |
| Single |
|
|
|
150% | 30% | 10% |
| Level | Power | Status Chance | Status Strength | MP | AP Cost | |
| 1 | 200/5 | (20%) | (100%) | -- | N/A | |
| 2 | 300/5 | (20%) | (100%) | -- | 300 | |
| 3 | 400/5 | (20%) | (100%) | -- | 1000 | |
| 4 | 510/5 | (20%) | (100%) | -- | 3000 | |
| 5 | 620/5 | (20%) | (100%) | -- | 12000 | |
Epic Battle Fantasy 5
- "I considered naming that attack "The Omnislashing Lion Heart", but that was a bit of a mouthful."
- ―Matt upon using Cleaver, Epic Battle Fantasy 5
Cleaver is Matt's default Limit Break, being already at level 1 when you start the game.
 |
Cleaver | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Limit Break! Deals incredible physical damage to a single target, with multiple slashes.
| ||||||
| Target | Type | Element | Status Effect | Acc | Crit | RdF |
| Single |
|
|
|
150% | 30% | 10% |
| Level | Power | Status Chance | Status Strength | AP Cost | ||
| 1 | 220/5 | (100%) | (100%) | N/A | ||
| 2 | 310/5 | (100%) | (100%) | 300 | ||
| 3 | 420/5 | (100%) | (100%) | 1000 | ||
| 4 | 540/5 | (100%) | (100%) | 3000 | ||
| 5 | 660/5 | (100%) | (100%) | 10000 | ||
| Note: Bonus skills have their trigger chance multiplied by 2.5 | ||||||
Trivia
- When Matt uses Cleaver in Epic Battle Fantasy 2, he may say "Pierce the heavens!" or "Fight the power!" Both are references to the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann anime: the former is a recurring phrase in the show itself, while the latter is heard on several of the anime's songs.
- Cleaver itself is a reference to Omnislash, a powerful Limit Break in the Final Fantasy series. This is lampshaded in Matt's quote above.
- Matt's comment about his "alternate name" for Cleaver in EBF5 directly references Omnislash as well as Lion Heart, the signature attack of Squall Leonhart.
- In Japanese, the name of this attack is "猫天御剣流・五頭龍閃", translating to "Godcat Sword Style: Five-Headed Dragon Strike".