Gundam School Part 25

"What is 'Gundam', anyway?" This simple (?) question is answered in our twenty-fifth casual weekly column just for new fans!


　No Bigfoot? No? Then maybe Nessie? Nope, just a (less-)rare(-now?) super-simple intro column for new Gundam fans!
　We're back with Part 25 of what makes Gundam Gundam.

　 You can see our previous coverage of what makes Gundam Gundam here, and this week we're back with another Gundam standard!

　Gundam features a lineup of popular and unique "black" Gundams quite different from the standard "white" ones.
　Their cool (maybe even a little edgy?) aesthetic, and unique and mysterious looks, hit at the power and capabilities they possess.
　In part 25, we continue our look at the black Gundams which oppose the hero under the control of enemies and rivals, and sometimes become key to the story!
　Without further ado, here's part 25, "Black Gundams (part 2)"!


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[Part 1]
Black Gundams are high-performance! But a bit quirky? But still awesome!


　The first "black" Gundam we're looking at today is the Gundam Epyon from New Mobile Report Gundam Wing. Designated OZ-13MS, it stands 17.5 meters high and weighs in at 8.5 tons.

　 The name "Epyon" comes from the Greek for "next" or "next generation", and it was designed by Treize Khushrenada (the former leader of the private military organization OZ, then imprisoned) based on the five Gundams. Deeply informed by his ideals of chivalry, the Epyon eschews ranged weaponry in favor of close combat, standing as an (fabulously) elegant duelist in contrast to the weapons of mass destruction being created by mainstream mobile suit design.

　Trieze, ever the stoic (?) with his embrace of the idea of eventual defeat, sallies forth armed only with a beam sword, a whiplike heat rod, and a shield in order to duel at close range—though the Epyon can also transform into a mobile armor with twin dragon heads, taking advantage of the solar wind in a way that suggests that we may be able to add eco-friendliness to his list of virtues.

　The "System Epyon" control system, designed to remove all a pilot's doubts and let them fight as a true knight, is nearly identical to the Wing Gundam Zero's Zero System, and shares its flaw of pushing unstable pilots completely out of control. A truly equal match for the Wing Gundam Zero, they duel throughout the latter half of the show, until...

　The Gundam Epyon, while certainly not a flat black, acquires a certain elegance and feeling of power from its deep red, all while embracing the uniqueness and strong sense of purpose seen in other "black" Gundams.



　Next, we come to the Gundam Virsago of After War Gundam X, designated NRX-0013, standing 17.8m high, and weighing in at 8.1 tons. This suit was fielded by the New United Nations Earth.

　Developed immediately after the Seventh Space War as a next-generation Gundam, this highly-mobile and well-balanced "black" Gundam is more than a match for the Gundam X.

　 The name "Virsago" is taken from a mythological demon, and true to its name (?) it bears a pair of back-mounted radiator plates that hang like folded wings, capable of both dispersing heat and creating lift as flexible binders. With the Flash System control system that senses Newtype brain waves and a high-powered generator, it's powerful enough to easily take down even older Gundams.

　And for some reason, it shares the Gundam Epyon's looks... Huh. These two really do look like each other. (Though I guess the Virsago seems a bit more villainous?)

　There's the Gundam Virsago Chest Break (NRX-0013-CB) that's been upgraded even further, too.



　 Then there's the Gundam Ashtaron (also from After War Gundam X.) Designated NRX-0015, standing 19.5m high and weighing in at 10.2t, it is also operated by the NUNE. Given an alternate name of the devil Astaroth, it is piloted by Olba Frost, younger of Gundam pilot Garrod Ran's twin rivals. Its Trans-system allows it to transform into a "fighter moder" mobile armor and soar through air and space. Its shoulders carry large backpack units (these are important!), and its weaponry includes "atomic scissors" mounted on extending arms and a nose beam cannon. Between the armor and the pincers, it's really reminiscent of a crab or a shrimp or a lobster or something (looks like it'd work well underwater, too.) This... unique... design is a good fit for its pilot, and for the idea of a "black" Gundam.

　There's even an enhanced version, the Ashtaron Hermit Crab, to play this (... which 'this?') up even further!


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[Part 2]
Black Gundams are high-performance! But internally similar to other Gundams? But still awesome!


　Let's start off with the Mobile Suit Gundam AGE's Gundam Legilis, "black" in spirit if not in paintjob.

(Designation: xvm-fzc, height: 19.1m, weight: 71.2t)
　 The Legilis, the first Gundam-type mobile suit produced by the Vagans (the anti-UE group formerly known as UE) after their capture and reverse-engineering of the Gundam AGE-3, seems almost like the Vagans modeled it after the RX-78-2's (!?) tricolor highlights in hope that it, too, would change the course of the war. (Not sure I like where this is going...) It's even got its own Core Fighter, in the form of the detachable, draconic Legilis Core head parts.

　 However, even if the paint job matches that of a standard Gundam, the silhouette is a bit more Vagan (a bit fake-Gundam? A bit almost juvenile delinquent?) and its capabilities combine the AGE-3's with those of Vagan technilogy to create a suit with the limitations of neither.

　The Gundam Legilis, bathed in such an air of mystery that even its name was unknown for some time, is definitely a "black" Gundam, even if the color scheme doesn't agree.



　 The Banshee (from Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn) is the second "Unicorn Project" prototype MS developed by Anaheim Electronics. (Designation: RX-0, height: 19.7m [Unicorn mode]/21.7m [Destroy mode], weight: 24.0t)

　 Just like the first in the series, it's equipped with the NT-D system (a control system that activates under certain conditions without pilot input) and a full Psycoframe (a frame embedded with special Psycommu chips that resonate with Newtypes). The Psycoframe gleams a brilliant golden color when active, and when in Destroy Mode (and directly controlled by the pilot's thoughts) the head-mounted antenna unfurls into a form like a lion's mane. An aesthetic based on the classical enemy of 01's unicorn, and a pitch-black color scheme to oppose its pure white—it's a powerful-seeming design incorporating all the best parts of 01 and a little something more, making it the perfect rival.

　The Banshee (Unicorn 02) is the very picture of a "black Gundam", and the perfect way to close out our look at them.
　As I'm sure you can see, especially after two columns packed with examples, the term "black Gundam" isn't just about the paint job.
　It's about things like power far greater than that of a standard suit, use as a captured weapon, and its role in the plot—all of which contribute to a charm and a popularity completely different from that of standard Gundams.
(I didn't have time to get to them, but there's also the very "red" Arche ( Mobile Suit Gundam 00), as well as the black but friendly and not "black" Gundam AGE-2 Dark Hound from Mobile Suit Gundam AGE.)

Oh, isn't Gundam just so fascinating?

Well, well, well, well, well, well, well well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, that's it for this week. Next week we'll be taking another laid-back look at what makes Gundam Gundam!