CB-002 Raphael Gundam

CB-002 Raphael Gundam (aka Raphael Gundam, Raphael), is the successor unit to the GN-008GNHW/B Seravee Gundam GNHW/B, featured in Mobile Suit Gundam 00 The Movie: A wakening of the Trailblazer. The unit is piloted by Tieria Erde.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
Raphael is the final product of compiled Innovators and Celestial Being MS technology, produced by Veda and Gundam Meister Tieria Erde for the latter's own personal use. Technical and combat data from GNZ-003 Gadessa and GN-008GNHW/B Seravee Gundam GNHW/B were used as a basis, resulting in a hybrid heavy assault unit.

The Raphael's physical appearance is a farcry from other suits with the CB designation, tending to resemble the GNZ-003 Gadessa and the GN-008 Seravee Gundam rather than the 1 Gundam, GN Cannon, and Reborns Gundam/Cannon.

Raphael is a departure from its predecessors as it is the first heavy assault Gundam without heavy body armor. Its overall presentation has been inverted from its lineage, as all Gundams piloted by Tieria Erde have the primary combat unit as a heavily armored assault unit, with a second high mobility unit as a final countermeasure. This inversion allows Raphael greater mobility and flexibility in combat, but reduces its defensive capabilities as a result.

The MS frame was rebuilt using the Innovators' leftover mobile suit parts and salvaged parts from the Seravee. Raphael's head crown still retains the horn-like design from the Seravee, and its overall appearance carries aesthetic elements from both the GNZ-series and the Seravee Gundam. Like its predecessor, Raphael's backpack contains a hidden second Gundam. The true form of the Raphael's backpack is actually a redeveloped variant of Seravee Gundam, GN-008RE Seravee Gundam II. Unlike the Seraphim, which was controlled directly by Tieria when deployed, the Seravee II is an unmanned combat unit which receives commands from Tieria's quantum brainwaves. As with its predecessors, the unit is only revealed as a final measure.

Raphael is much like its predecessors, which were all high particle consuming Gundams. A significant difference is that Raphael is the only Gundam in Celestial Being's possession that does not possess a true GN Drive. Instead, Raphael draws power from 3 GN Drive Taus. One drive is mounted on the Raphael's main body, while the other 2 are mounted within the GN Big Cannons.

The attached drives give the remote cannons great speed and power, as well as offer them greater operating time by acting as the cannons' own dedicated power source. When greater firepower is needed, Raphael can also detach its backpack-mounted GN Bazookas for more firepower. However, it is not clear whether Raphael is capable of creating bazooka/cannon combinations like the Seravee.

Overall, Raphael is a formidable unit of great firepower, but limited in combat time as it no longer contains its perpetual energy system, the GN Drive. Although using the inferior GN Drive Tau in place of an original GN Drive, the Raphael is still able to match Celestial Being's other Gundams in terms of performance, possibly due to the face that it draws power from three GN Drive Taus to power its weapons, the most number of Drives ever seen in a single mobile suit.

Armaments

 * GN Bazooka
 * A pair of GN Bazookas are attached to the backpack of Raphael. They're derived from the Seravee's GN Bazooka II, and can be adjusted for rapid fire or for high power shots. . Much of the design remains the same, but they have been reconfigured to adapt onto the backpack of Raphael.


 * GN Beam Rifle
 * Raphael's GN Beam Rifle is similar in design to the rifles used by the Plutone and Nadleeh. In fact, it was built from the recycled GN Rifle of the GN-004 Gundam Nadleeh, and was improved. From this, it can be presumed that the beam rifle of the Raphael also has the beam bayonet function of Nadleeh's Beam Rifle. Its exact power rating is unknown, although the power output and size of the beam is less than that of its GN Cannons.


 * GN Big Cannon/GN Claw
 * On Raphael's backpack, the unit contains a pair GN Claws with built-in cannons. It's an enhanced version of Virtue's and Seravee's GN Cannons. The GN Big Cannons are hidden underneath the claws. Differing from its lineage though, the cannons have their own GN Drives and are detachable, capable of autonomous movement that gives them an unrestricted field of fire and greater range of movement. This is the most particle-consuming weapon on the Raphael, depleting a large amount of particles with only one shot. These are considered one of the few melee combat weapons mounted on the Raphael, as the GN Claws are capable of crushing their opponents outright.

System Features

 * Bit Control System
 * Trans-Am System

History
The Raphael Gundam was first deployed by Tieria Erde during Celestial Being's first attempted contact with the ELS. During this mission, Lockon Stratos in the GN-010 Gundam Zabanya and Allelujah Haptism/Soma Peries in the GN-011 Gundam Harute engaged the ELS for the first time. Setsuna F. Seiei, piloting the GN-0000RE+010 00 Raiser Consdenser Type, found himself experiencing strange visions and was unable to assist in the battle. As he withdrew to the Ptolemy, the ELS that were attracted to his quantum brainwaves relentlessly pursued him. During a momentary loss of focus, two ELS hit the 00 Raiser's left arm and began to assimilate the 00 Raiser. However, Tieria Erde arrived in the new CB-002 Raphael Gundam, using his remote GN Big Cannons to forcibly rip off and destroy the 00 Raiser's partially assimilated left arm, saving the rest of the machine from assimilation. Raphael then used Trans-Am to destroy the remaining ELS along with their space station.

Raphael's second deployment was during Setsuna's second attempt to communicate, this time using a combination of the Raiser System and Trans-Am to produce a Trans-Am Burst-like effect and expand his quantum field of communications. However, the ELS reacted violently and delivered a crippling mind attack to Setsuna, rendering him comatose and leaving the 00 Raiser open to assimilation from the ELS. Tieria, along with Lockon and Allelujah/Soma, attempted to fight their way to Setsuna but found their way blocked by the sheer number of ELS, forcing the three Gundams to eventually fight back to back to back. In his desparation to save Setsuna, Tieria distanced himself from the Zabanya and Harute and revealed the true form of Raphael's backpack, GN-008RE Seravee Gundam II. Using his quantum brainwaves, Tieria lured the ELS towards him as he sent the Seravee to forcibly rip the 00 Raiser's cockpit from the rest of the machine, even at the cost of also starting to be assimilated. While the Seravee was handing the cockpit to Lockon Stratos and the Zabanya, Tieria was hit by the ELS, but, determined to keep Setsuna alive, continued to resist the ELS until Lockon could escape with Setsuna. However, even with his activation of the Raphael's Trans-Am System, Tieria's physical body, the Raphael and the Seravee were assimilated along with the 00 Raiser, forcing Tieria to return to Veda.

Notes & Trivia

 * Raphael is the name of an archangel of Judaism and Christianity who performs all manner of healing and another one of Islam.


 * In the early trailers, Raphael was showcased using original GN Particles as a traditional Celestial Being Gundam normally would but in the later trailers and the final movie, Raphael was using Tau Drive/Particles.


 * The first concept of Raphael showcased in the first movie trailer had Raphael spot a color scheme much similar to Seravee.


 * In the 2nd trailer for the movie, Raphael performed a move similar in appearance to the Wing Gundam Zero's iconic "Rolling Buster Rifle" maneuver, where the Wing Zero's pilot Heero Yuy would split the twin buster rifle into two rifles, aim them to either side of the mobile suit and fire whilst rotating the mobile suit. Like certain early trailer scenes of Zabanya and Harute, it was also not in the final movie however.