GN-001 Gundam Exia

The protagonist mobile suit of the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam 00, and the mobile suit of Setsuna F. Seiei, Gundam Exia is the first Gundam to be displayed to the world at large. Sporting the set of armaments known as the "Seven Swords" System, the Exia is best-suited for melee combat. The Exia is also the first publically-known mobile suit to use beam-based weaponry, an indication of how vastly advanced it is in comparison to other mobile suits fielded at the time.

Its name derives from Exusia and/or Exousia, the biblical Greek word for the power of choice and/or authority.

Combat Characteristics
Exia near-exclusively uses its GN Sword/Rifle in battle. Setsuna was educated in combat by Ali Al Saachez (trained in a unidentified form of martial arts), training reflected in Exia's combat style. Due to its lack of ranged weaponry, Exia's preferred mode of combat is high speed melee combat, using the GN Blades to disarm and/or destroy enemies quickly and efficiently. When facing stronger opponents Exia uses the beam sabers for faster combat maneuvers. The GN Rifle is rarely used unless engaging opponents at long range. When facing overwhelming numbers and firepower such as the GN-X, Exia can dock with the GN Arms to drastically enhance its firepower, or use its Trans-Am system to increase its speed to far beyond anything that can match it.

Exia's GN Sword was carefully designed to disperse GN Field defenses, as a countermeasure against Gundam technology falling into the wrong hands - a preparation that would bear fruit when the GN-X was created.

Armaments
The following is a list of the standard armaments equipped upon the Exia.

GN Sword / Rifle
A solid blade attached to a miniature forearm shield, which serves as the Exia's primary weapon -- the longest blade amongst the Seven Swords. The cutting edge is lined with GN particles, allowing it to easily split MS armor. The sword can be vertically folded along the forearm, exposing the muzzle of a short-range, high-speed beam rifle concealed behind the shield. A single shot can destroy a conventional enemy unit. The sword can also be used as a physical blade to pierce/negate GN Field equipped opponents.

GN Long Blade & Short Blade
A pair of solid blades differing in length, sheathed at either side of the Exia's waist when not in use. The blades are lined with GN particles to increase the effectiveness of armor-cutting. Normally dual-wielded.

GN Beam Saber & Beam Dagger
Beam equipment in the Anno Domini continuity is still in the process of being developed by most military powers as a 2nd generation mobile suit armament. The Gundams are the first series of units to actually employ them on the battlefield. The Exia has a total of four beam sabers: two of standard length, mounted behind either shoulder; and two beam daggers, mounted behind the waist. Though such weapons are more versatile than solid blades, the GN particles composing the blade body may be subject to dispersion and other forms of disruption. They also grow less effective in an atmosphere.

GN Vulcan Cannon
A small beam-based vulcan cannon, built into the Exia's forearms. As all of the its capabilities are inferior to that of the GN Sword - Rifle Mode, it is used primarily for threatening and limiting enemy movement.

GN Shield
Defensive equipment composed of durable E-Carbon, superior to the armor class of conventional mobile weapons and extremely difficult to destroy. As the Exia is designed for close-quarters combat, the shield it's equipped with is relatively small and light-weight. Both ends of the shield are bladed and of sufficient consistency to be used as a piercing weapon.

Trans-Am System
Trans-Am grants Exia three times it's normal capabilities. It's overall speed, firepower, and strength is temporarily increased at three times its normal specs. When activated Exia becomes a high speed MS combatant, capable of hyper vector CQC combat. Because CB engineers didn't know about Trans-Am, no secondary features or special abilities were given to Exia when Trans-Am is activated. The system utilizes the maximum potential of its GN Drive in particle generation. Once all it's particles are spent, Exia is temporarily under powered until the GN Drive recharges Exia's particle levels to normal performance parameters.

Optical Camouflage
Exia features a cloaking system based on Celestial Being's optical camouflage technology. When performing missions that need Exia to be hidden, the optical camouflage blends Exia into its surroundings; the cloak isn't perfect. The cloak isn't an active cloaking field, it's only applicable when Exia is stationary. Should Exia move during cloak, the optical camouflage would reveal Exia. The optical camouflage is also capable of expanding its cloak field. It's able to cloak another Gundam inches away from its position, but unclear is it capable of cloaking a non-Gundam MS and/or foreign objects.

GN-001/hs-A01 Gundam Avalanche-Exia
The optional equipment consists of a series of large-capacity GN particle condenser attachments, which act to store the particle production of the GN drive for release in a single 10-minute burst of ultra-high speed. Higher output is possible, but the strain it places on the body of the pilot becomes severe. As the condensers require a full hour to charge, repeated use of the burst function is impossible. The standard Seven Swords armaments can be mounted behind the Avalanche equipment, and quickly deployed for use. The name "Avalanche" refers to the immediate elimination of all units before the attached Exia, as if in the face of an avalanche. "hs" stands for "high speed," and "A01" stands for "Avalanche Unit-01."
 * Japanese: ガンダムアヴァランチエクシア
 * Height: 18.3 meters
 * Weight: 62.1 metric tons (Avalanche Equipment Weight: 4.9 metric tons)
 * Type: Equipment-Enhanced High-Mobility Mobile Suit
 * Appears in the manga sidestory Mobile Suit Gundam 00V. The GN-001 Gundam Exia can be equipped with the optional high-mobility equipment hs-A01 Avalanche. Though the GN particle propulsion system native to the Exia allows for relatively high speed and acceleration, the unit is actually incapable of matching or exceeding certain aircrafts and spacecrafts in flight. The Avalanche was developed for the purpose of eliminating this issue.

GN-001 + GNR-001 GN Arms Type-E
Exia's support craft is a custom GN Arms unit that's tuned specifically for Exia, GN Arms Type-E(xia). GN Arms itself is a GN particle fueled combat space craft, to support Exia in difficult combat situations. The support craft itself is dependent on Exia's GN Drive to fuel it and have GN Condensers to independently combat enemy units for a limited time period. When the combat capabilities aren't enough or when GN particles are spent, GN Arms and Exia combine in a docking sequence to combat as GN Armor (mobile armor form/mode). In mobile armor configuration, Exia can utilize GN Arms' two large GN Blades for melee combat. Because it's themed after Exia, the GN Armor has GN Rifles stored behind both GN Blades for shooting and slicing. The unit also carries a GN Field generator for additional protection as the unit isn't highly maneuverable, but fast. While the unit can operate without a pilot, GN Arms must dock with Exia before sortieing to perform such a feat as it has no docking system for a Haro to make the controls autonomous.

GN-001RE Gundam Exia Repair
Due to lack of contact with Celestial Being during the five years between Season 1 and Season 2 of Gundam 00, Gundam Exia was never fully repaired from the damage it sustained in combat with Graham Aker and his GN Flag. As a result, when it reappears five years later, Exia is heavily damaged and poorly maintained. The left arm severed by the GN Flag's beam saber has been lost, replaced instead with a camouflage sheet that creates the illusion of a cloak. The Gundam's head has been reattached, but the right eye remains gutted, leaving a glowing red eye taken from a Tieren in its place. As most of its weapons were destroyed, the Exia Repair only has access to its GN Sword/Rifle (now broken) and its right arm's GN Vulcan. Though Setsuna's increased piloting skill allows the Exia Repair to hold its own against the far superior Ahead units, it is quickly dispatched, only to be rescued by the new GN-008 Seravee Gundam. Its GN Drive was then removed in for use in the GN-0000 00 Gundam.

GN-001REII Gundam Exia Repair II
After its GN Drive was salvaged, Exia was given a proper repair job, CB engineers upgraded the suit with the advances in GN technology between its creation and the present. Exia's armor was replaced with the hollow armor used in the second-generation mobile suits, removing the need for external particle feed cables in the process. The rear shows notable differences as a series of thrusters and exhaust ports were added upon its rear shoulder armor, rear torso, and calves for increased speed and maneuverability in melee combat. Its GN Sword has been replaced with its own version of the GN Sword III mounted on 00 Gundam; all other weaponry except for two beam sabers were removed. The full capabilities of the enhanced Gundam Exia are unclear as its resurrection and deployment was brief.

Exia RII was dispatched after GN-0000+GNR-010 00 Raiser was severely damaged after battling CB-0000G/C Reborns Gundam/Cannon. 0 Gundam's GN Drive (from 00 Gundam) was then transferred to Exia to allow Setsuna continue to fight. Setsuna/Exia RII would face Ribbons/0 Gundam for a final match; while the victor would go to Setsuna, both units were severely damaged in battle. It can be presumed CB engineers repaired Exia RII after the battle and return to storage after 00 Gundam was restored.


 * Armaments:
 * GN Sword Kai
 * GN Beam Saber x 2
 * GN Shield


 * System Features:
 * Trans-Am System
 * GN Drive Burst
 * Optical Camouflage