Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Top 5 Mobile Armors of Gundam



Mobile armors are usually a rare sight in Gundam, but when they do show up, they are sure to have a massive presence on the battlefield. In general, mobile armors are significantly larger, faster, and more heavily armed than mobile suits. That is why I consider them the mini-bosses of Gundam; entire episodes usually revolve around them, and it always takes a large amount of effort to take them down. This list is dedicated to the 5 most memorable mobile armors in all of Gundam lore. Note that while their devastating power is definitely a factor, this list does not count down the most powerful mobile armors. Also, transformable mobile suits do not count as mobile armors.


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5. NZ-333 Alpha Azieru
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The Alpha Azieru is a monstrous Newtype mobile armor and surely one of the most memorable. Though it is piloted by the insufferable Quess Paraya, the Alpha Azieru represents the pinnacle of mobile armor technology during Char's Counterattack, much like how the Nu Gundam does the same for mobile suits. The first thing one will notice is its size; it easily towers over the Nu Gundam, which is already a large mobile suit. It is also packed with powerful weapons, including funnels, beam guns, and a mega particle cannon capable of wiping out several mobile suits in a single shot. It would have sat a little better with me if it was piloted by a less infuriating individual, but it's hard to deny its place as one of more terrifying mobile weapons in the U.C. timeline.


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4. MAN-08 Elmeth
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The Elmeth is notable for several reasons, one of which is the impact it left on the Gundam franchise. Piloted by Lalah Sune, the Elmeth is one of the most instantly recognizable mobile armors, mainly due to the famous scene between Amuro, Char, and Lalah. In general, the Elmeth exhibits the very first use of wirelessly controlled Newtype weapons in the form of bits. With these bits, the Elmeth manages to cause a widespread scare by destroying mobile suits and battleships completely unseen. Even on the battlefield, the Elmeth manages to prove effective by launching all-range attacks with its numerous bits. In its accidental demise at the hands of Amuro and the Gundam, it became a symbol of the volatile dynamic between him and Char, and of the legacy of Newtype mobile armors as a whole. 


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3. AMA-X7 Shamblo
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The Shamblo stands as one of the most powerful and advanced mobile armors to appear in the U.C. timeline. It's impressive how the Zeon remnants managed to design and finance this monster, but that's another story. The Shamblo is actually an amphibious mobile armor, and it uses this ability to stealthily launch pre-emptive strikes. In all of its appearances, it manages to wreak absolute havoc, destroying everything in its path and shrugging off all manner of attacks sent its way. One of its most notable attributes is its set of Reflector bits, which reflect beam weaponry and render them useless. It is not until the Shamblo and its pilot are rendered completely defenseless that the protagonists are able to incapacitate it. Although it does not last too long, it's definitely one of the best examples of an overwhelming and dangerous mobile armor.


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2. Apsalus
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The almighty Apsalus had the potential to be one of the most devastating weapons in the U.C. universe. Its only flaw was that even after three versions, it never actually got to fulfill its purpose. It was designed to destroy the underground base Jaburo after Zeon forces had failed to do so. With the unique "Minovsky Craft System", the Apsalus was meant to elevate itself into Earth's lower orbit and fire off a powerful Mega Particle Cannon that would have easily destroyed the base. Although it fails due to the efforts of the 8th MS team, it definitely sounded brutal in theory. As a near-superweapon that the entire 8th MS Team anime revolved around, the Apsalus is unarguably one of the most prominent mobile armors in the Gundam metaverse.


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1. Dendrobium Orchis/Neue Ziel
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I've never put two entries in the same spot before, but I feel this is the most appropriate way to go. The titanic battle between Kou Uraki's Dendrobium Orchis and Anavel Gato's Neue Ziel is one of the most memorable moments in Gundam history, and it's the first and only time the hero and villain used massive mobile armors to fight their final battle. Their significance isn't their only claim to fame; the Dendrobium Orchis and Neue Ziel also happen to be some of the most impressive and powerful mobile weapons in early U.C. history. Armed with advanced I-field barriers, remote weapons, and devastating beam weapons, these two mobile armors were capable of causing some major damage. They are the trademarks of Stardust Memory, which is why I couldn't help but put them together in the number one spot.


Check out my other Gundam Top 5 lists~


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28 comments:

  1. added you to my blogroll, blog crashed, so it took linger than usual. Sorry

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  2. Are we forgetting the greatest one of them all, the RB-79 Ball? XD

    Not only is it one of the first (if you count Zimmad's early experimental Bigro, it is the first) it enjoy the status of being both the most produced and the longest serving time of all the MAs, a whopping 30+ years! Real world weapons rarely last that long on the field!

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  3. Apsalus was the only super high budget Zeon super MA that actually made sense. And it gets no funds. Federation would have been majorly fucked if they actually gave the project the attention and funds that it deserved.

    As for the Ball, it's one of the most cost effective weapon to ever have existed. I can't imagine the thing costing much more than a F-14, yet it's so amazingly suited for space combat.

    Top 5 is a pretty interesting section you have there. Maybe I should do a continued session like this as well...

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  4. I was wondering about the meteor unit from Seed, does it count as an MA, aircraft, or just a plain add-on / upgrade ?

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  5. what about the regenant from gundam 00 (sesaon 2)
    that freaking armor's beam bends in different directions and with a powerful GN field that seravee's hyper beam just blocked that kind of beam

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  6. The meteor unit, I really wouldn't count as a mobile armor. It practically belongs in its own category of super add-ons like the G-falcon on the Double X and the 0 Raiser.

    The Regnant is technically a transforming unit, and I don't think it was even introduced when I was making this list. I wouldn't have added it though, it lacks the certain something that the MA's on my list have.

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  7. Why is quess' alpha azieru of char's counterattack is not included? Also shambloo from unicorn and that huge mobile armor from seed destiny is missing, the one that blocked minerva's tenhau'sser

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    Replies
    1. I agree with the comment before you. This list was jut chosen from the favorites a the UC era. They are powerful, but nearly as the mobile armies he mentioned.

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    2. People seem to think these lists are all about the most powerful. They are NOT. Only the Top 5 Most Powerful Gundam counts down a list of power. These are simply my lists, my favorites, listed in terms of the kind of impact they left throughout the series. If all the lists were about power, they would all be clusterfucks of everything from the most recent series. It would be a 00, Seed Destiny, AGE, Unicorn mayhem, and I am absolutely not going to do that.

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  8. Shamblo definitely deserves some attention

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  9. As of July 5, 2012, this post has been re-written for quality purposes. The two best suggestions were definitely the Shamblo and Alpha Azieru. I also did something interesting for the number one spot which made room for both. Seeing as how this was my very first Gundam Top 5, I barely put enough effort into it. Now I hope its perfect~

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  10. A bit late but if this post takes into account the impact a mobile armor made, one cannot simply forget about Four Murasame/Rosamia Badam and their Psyco Gundams. xD I mean, it was a HUGE gundam that unleashed hell in Hong Kong. Not to mention another series tried to capture its badassery *eherm *Abyss *eherm.

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    Replies
    1. Its never too late to contribute to these posts :)
      But anyway, as the intro paragraph says, transformable mobile suits DO NOT count as mobile armor. I'm only including pure mobile armor.

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  11. Val Varo?
    I know it didn't get alot of screen time.
    But it was simply deadly.
    Extremely fast, with 2 giant claws, electro-field-generator-things, megaparticle CANNON, and antiair beams.
    This thing was a monstrous lobster

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    Replies
    1. I actually liked the Val Varo too, but like you said, I chose to exclude it cause it only got a few minutes of screen time. Didn't leave much of an impact.

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  12. Does GN Arms Type-E count?

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  13. Neue Ziel vs Dendrobium Orchis was definitely one of the most awesome, destructive final showdowns ever. In terms of sheer power it only gets beaten by Turn A vs Turn X, Nu vs Sazabi, and maybe Double X vs Virsago Chest Break and Ashtaron Hermit Crab. How about you do a "top 5 final showdowns" C.Jin?

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  14. All you forgot alvator in gundam 00 with his mega beam weapon who can destroy battle ship with one shot

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  15. Time to change this, neo zeong is out lol

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  16. change 1 mobile armor to NEO ZEONG

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  17. Funny how aside from Dendrobium, these are all Zeon Mobile Armors

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    Replies
    1. Wow I actually just noticed that. I guess it kind of shows how massive MA's are usually a bad guy thing.

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  18. Surprised that Patulia didn't have a mention here.

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  19. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  20. Just for your consideration, I wanted to mention that the MA-05 Bigro should definitely get some recognition as the most mass produced MA during the OYW, and one of the few that actually spawned variants, such as the MA-05AD Big Rang and MA-05R Big Ruf. If you haven't watched it, look for the 0081 OVA in youtube to watch a squadron of Bigros in action.

    On a different note, the AMA-X7 Shamblo is supposed to be a leftover design from Haman's Neo Zeon which was later completed with the aid and finance of The Sleeves, which is why it has their distinctive markings despite being used by Zeon remnants. The Zee Zulus which also have the Sleeves markings were also provided by The Sleeves.

    Last, but not least, I wanted to point out that there's a difference between transformable MS (TMS) and transformable MA (TMA). Essentially the later are mainly configured as MA, but are given MS form to be able to engage in close combat. One of the best references is the AMA-01X Jamru Fin, which was only given makeshift MS arms and head to complete it quickly, but it's mainly meant to function in MA form, in which it can use different attachments, such as a nuclear pulse engine booster for operating around Jupiter's gravity or an offensive use mega booster (AMA-01X+AMF-02R), which similar to the Dendobrium or Neo Zeong would essentially makes it a MA docked into a larger MA.

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  21. Hey after watching Gundam unicoen you gotta add Full Frontal's Neo Zeong to the list, it as it all; speed, firepower, size, armor, shields, NT resonator, and it can dock with the Shinanju.

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