XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero

XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero (aka Wing Zero, Zero, Wing Zero ver EW, Wing Zero Custom) is a mobile suit that appears in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz. Though having many pilots during its lifetime, the unit is most famously piloted by Heero Yuy.

Technology & Combat Characteristics

 * Wing Gundam Zero
 * Wing Gundam Zero was designed by the five engineers fifteen years prior to the events of the Eve Wars, the Wing Zero is the ancestor of the five Operation Meteor Gundams (Wing, Deathscythe, Heavyarms, Sandrock, and Shenlong). Designed with "Perfect Victory" in mind, it boasts exceptional abilities and is one of the two suits which utilize the ZERO System (the other being Epyon), but because of this dangerous mental interface, it was kept hidden away until Quatre Raberba Winner desperately built it following his father's death. Like the Wing Gundam, it can transform into a high-speed flight mode dubbed "Neo-Bird Mode". Further, its twin buster rifle has more than twice the output of the Wing Gundam's buster rifle, giving it enough power to destroy an entire space colony or resource satellite in a single shot. It features hidden thrusters in the shoulder armor, where the armor splits open to reveal the nozzles. The feet also house powerful thrusters in order to give the Neo-Bird Mode extreme speed.


 * Wing Zero Custom
 * Wing Zero Custom, more recently referred to as version Endless Waltz (ver EW), it was Hajime Katoki's redesigned version of the Wing Gundam Zero. The version of Wing Zero that appears in Endless Waltz differs from the one seen in the series mainly in appearance, but there are notable feature differences. It loses the piledriver shield and, subsequently, the Neo-Bird Mode of the television version, but instead sports four angelic wings lined with many thrusters. The large main wings can double as shields in combat and serve as heat shields for atmospheric re-entry, while the straight sub-wings provide constant thrust and house the beam sabers. Additionally, the forearms mount complex sensor arrays, giving the twin buster rifle unprecedented accuracy. This OVA version features a Zero Frame, which is the final layer of armor available to the Wing Zero. The wings on the Wing Zero Custom are highly important as if any one of them were destroyed, the speed of the Wing Zero Custom would be greatly reduced. The wings also contribute to the AMBAC of the Wing Zero Custom.

Armaments

 * Beam Saber
 * In the original TV series, Wing Zero's beam sabers were hidden within the shoulder armor for quick access. In Endless Waltz they were placed in the pylons that connected two smaller wings to the back of the torso. They possess enough power to compete with the OZ-13MS Gundam Epyon's powerful beam sword, and can easily melt through even the toughest Gundanium armor. They are capable of operating underwater.


 * Machine Cannon
 * A pair of small 4-barrel gatling guns housed on the clavicle section of Wing Zero. Primarily used when the twin buster rifle is either unavailable or unsuitable for the mission. Essentially, machine cannons are larger versions of vulcan guns. Because of their larger caliber, machine cannons can deal respectable damage(even to destroy a titanium alloy armored MS) and therefore sees more use than vulcans.


 * Piledriver Shield
 * Features an anti-beam coating, and can shoot out the tip to puncture enemy MS armor similar to a real life piledriver. It possesses an aerodynamic shape to reduce air resistance in Neo Bird Mode. This equipment is omitted from Endless Waltz version.


 * Twin Buster Rifle
 * Wing Zero's primary armament is the Twin Buster Rifle, a weapon capable of destroying objects several miles in size, like a space colony. When separated into two individual buster rifles, the rifles could destroy entire waves of targets. The rifles could also be stored on the back of the suit between the two primary wings. They possess power several times greater than that of the Wing Gundam's buster rifle, which already had a formidable power output. The Wing Zero Custom's buster rifles feature a simpler design that is less stylized than the ones on the TV version. There is a targeting sensor array added to each rifle in this version.


 * Wing Vulcan
 * Mounted behind the wing binders, they are used for dogfighting purposes in Neo-Bird Mode. This weapon is omitted from Endless Waltz version.

System Features

 * Search Eye
 * The search eye is only used for combat, of the same type used by the Wing Gundam. It also gathers data that the cameras and antennas cannot. During combat, it instantly calculates the precise position, movement, and weak points of an opponent. In episode 37, Zechs Merquise uses the Search Eye of the Wing Gundam Zero to track down the OZ-13MS Gundam Epyon and its pilot Heero Yuy.


 * ZERO System
 * The main feature of Wing Zero is the ZERO System, a combat computer/pilot interface installed in the cockpit. The ZERO system connects directly with the mind of the pilot, flooding him with combat data and possible outcomes. This overload of data could allow the pilot to achieve total victory, but places great mental and emotional stress on the pilot. Those exposed to ZERO (an acronym for Zoning and Emotional Range Omitted) System can become totally unstable, unable to tell the difference between friend and foe. Victims may even suffer mental breakdown or death. The latter occurred when an OZ soldier, obsessed with the capabilities of Wing Zero and the ZERO system, used it to challenge Duo Maxwell, the pilot of Deathscythe Hell, and eventually went insane and later died during the battle. Furthermore, the cockpit of the Wing Zero features various special features and systems to further compliment the ZERO System, such as special displays and controlling systems, including a 3 dimensional radar display.

Variants

 * XXXG-00W0L Gundam Lucifer
 * XXXG-00W0S Wing Gundam Seraphim

Background
When the Tallgeese prototype (the first mobile suit of the After Colony timeline) was completed, the five scientists who had supervised its design and construction rebelled and went into hiding. They collaborated to produce a new mobile suit, one which could outperform the Tallgeese, and which would be constructed from Gundanium alloy. This "Gundam", the Wing Zero, was developed to the blueprint stage but never constructed, as it was considered too powerful for any pilot. After its construction it can be considered the most powerful mobile suit in the A.C. Era (only closely rivaled by the Gundam Epyon). Each scientist took a copy of the plans and used it to develop their own Gundams: the ones seen at the beginning of Gundam Wing.

Gundam Wing
The existence of Wing Zero is first revealed in episode 21, when Quatre Raberba Winner discovers a copy of the blueprints and begins work on the Gundam to replace his destroyed Gundam Sandrock. In the same episode, Quatre's father dies. The completed Wing Zero first appears in episode 24, with Quatre at the controls, driven mentally unstable from the combination of his father's death and exposure to the ZERO System. Heero and Trowa (working for OZ, the former unwillingly) are sent to take on Quatre and Wing Zero. The pair are able to return Quatre to normalcy, although at the apparent cost of Trowa's life, and Heero and Quatre are captured. OZ soldier Trant Clark forces Heero to test the ZERO System, but he and Quatre escape and return to Earth in episode 26. It is worth noting that Heero is the only individual in the series to be shown glowing after exposure to Wing Zero. The effect to this day is utterly unexplained in any context and no other individual who has used the ZERO system has shown this reaction to Wing Zero. It is also notable that Quatre initially denies even using the cockpit system after discussing the matter with the other pilots when they are held together in captivity after Zero is brought in. He claimed only to be interested in the suit's massive amounts of firepower. This claim seems to be genuine, as Zero's unique 'golden glow' effect, seen when the ZERO system activates, did not activate at any time while Quatre initially piloted the machine, though the system DID activate in the Sandrock after having it manually activated by Quatre. As a result, none of Quatre's actions while using the suit can be attributed to Wing Zero itself, despite the guilt Quatre later displayed in his rampage while piloting it.

Trant retains the suit, testing it again with Duo Maxwell at the controls in episode 32. Duo attempts to escape, and Trant attempts to fight Duo's Deathscythe Hell with Wing Zero, dying in the process. Trant's body was never shown to be recovered after his death, however when OZ plans to destroy the Gundam in episode 34, his body is never shown or hinted to have been removed from the cockpit, however the suit is empty when Zechs Merquise sacrifices his Tallgeese in order to claim Wing Zero for himself (This may be a reference to the EXAM system from an earlier Gundam series, which saw the test subject for that system be absorbed by the machine. However, there is nothing to substantiate this theory. Presumably, OZ removed his body for the sake of Trant's family, and this would be why there is no corpse in the suit when they attempt to destroy the suit.).

Zechs confronts Chang Wufei in episode 35; he at first attempts to become the Gundam pilot's ally, but the effects of the ZERO system forces him into conflict. He then uses the Wing Zero to return to Earth in an attempt to prevent the dissolution of the Sanc Kingdom in episode 37, and fights Heero, who is piloting Epyon. At the conclusion of the battle, they exchange Gundams, leaving Heero with Wing Zero.

Heero and Wing Zero return to space in episode 41, and over the next two episodes Wufei and Trowa both pilot Wing Zero, allowing them to work through their personal problems (Wufei discovered his enemy and joined the Gundam team, and Trowa regained his memories). During the final episodes of the series, Heero is shown at least twice speaking to Wing Zero as though it were alive and holding a conversation with him. The first is shown when Heero is preparing for the final battle against the White Fang, preparing a copy of the ZERO system for installation into Quatre's Sandrock, and again in the very final episode of the series, as he asks the suit to help him, and the suit responds to the plea almost immediately. Heero uses the Gundam in another duel against Epyon defeating both Zech, before using Wing Zero's Twin Buster Rifle to destroy the wreckage of the battleship Libra superweapon before it can impact with Earth.

Tiel's Impulse
Following the secret construction of Gundam-based mobile suits by the Romefeller Foundation, the prototype Gundam Lucifer is stolen by test pilot Karl Noembreux, who is under the influence of the ZERO 2.0 System. Following this, a group of civilians breaks into the colony where the Gundams are under construction. Their leader, Tiel Noembreux, steals one of the Seraphim Gundams, and heads out in the company of two others, in search of her brother.

Endless Waltz
Following the events of the series, four of the Gundams, including Wing Zero, are collected and sent towards the sun for disposal. When the Barton Foundation begins to perform the original Operation Meteor, Quatre sets out to retrieve the four Gundams, sending Wing Zero to rendezvous in space with Heero at the end of the second episode, following his efforts to prevent the de-orbiting of Colony L3 X18-999.

Heero uses Wing Zero to combat Wufei and the Altron, who is on the side of the Mariemaia Army, the militia supported by the Barton Foundation. During the battle, Heero doesn't fight to his fullest extent, due to him believing the fight to be pointless, and Wing Zero receives heavy damage from both Altron and the re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Eventually, Heero gives up the fight, claiming that Zero never gave him an answer to whether or not he and the other pilots had done the right thing, and causes Wing Zero to sink into the ocean. Sometime later however, Wing Zero re-activates on its own and convinces Heero to complete his mission. These are the third and fourth times, respectively, that the suit has behaved in a manner suggesting some form of artificial intelligence and possibly a low level form of sentience, as Heero continues to speak of and to the machine as though it was alive.

Wing Zero then arrives in the sky at Brussels, where the other Gundams are fighting, and Heero aims its Twin Buster Rifle at the shield-protected Presidential Building where Mariamaia and her troops are hiding in. Heero then fires the rifle three times, and succeeds in destroying the shields. However, due to the damage Wing Zero had received earlier, the recoil of the rifle, along with enemy fire from the compound below, proves to be too much for it handle, and Wing Zero is ultimately destroyed in a series of explosions, though the torso remains mostly intact, falling to the ground and allowing Heero to survive, although barely able to walk. After Mariemaia's surrender, the rest of the Gundams are also destroyed, along with all other weapons. It is interesting to note that Heero, despite his bond with Wing Zero, didn't seem too distraught over its destruction. This, however, is probably due to the fact that Heero knew his Gundam's time had come, as he had said to it in the aforementioned underwater scene. Although none of the other Gundam Pilots showed too much fuss over self destructing their machines.

Notes & Trivia

 * Gundam Ace magazine polls have placed the Wing Gundam Zero Custom design fourth and first in the top 30 Mobile Suits of all time.


 * In Gundam vs Gundam Next Plus Wing Zero Custom is a playable PSP exclusive unit.


 * Wing Zero is playable unit for both Gundam vs Gundam and Gundam vs Gundam Next Plus.


 * In Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2, Wing Zero is a playable unit, while Wing Zero Custom is not.


 * In the novel version of Endless Waltz. The Twin Buster Rifle is shown to be housed in between the two wings that provide the initial thrusters. This could explain how, in the movie, Wing Zero appeared with its Twin Buster Rifle; even though throughout the movie, it was shown not having its Rifle stored anywhere.


 * In the game Super Robot Wars 64for Nintendo 64, Wing Zero Custom can be obtained simply by fully upgrade the Wing Zero; however, there is no Endless Waltz storyline in the game.


 * In Super Robot Wars R, Wing Zero Custom was unable to pierce the shield of Mariemaia Khushrenada's base during the last scenario of Endless Waltz storyline; thus, the GX-9901-DX Gundam Double X crushed the shield with a single shot from the twin satellite cannon.


 * In Gundam Battle Assault 3: Featuring Gundam SEED, Kira Yamato mistakenly assumed that the Wing Zero Custom is a new mobile suit created by ZAFT.


 * In Super Robot Wars L, Heero Yuy with his Wing Zero Custom is involved in several scenes of Gundam SEED Destiny. Together with Yunagi Grafie and HL-0 Haruno (the game's deuteragonist) with their Straybird, Heero Yuy with the Wing Zero Custom firstly appeared, assisting Kira Yamato with his ZGMF-X10A Freedom during ZAFT's assassination attempt on Lacus Clyne. In the game, Relena was kidnapped by Logos, instead of Marimaea's Army. Thus, Wing Zero Custom attacked the Logos' Heaven's Base Headquarters alone before the Minerva forces arrived and join the battle. Lastly, the Wing Zero Custom also have a role in the Battle of Daedalus, disabling the Requiem cannon with it's Twin Buster Rifle.


 * Wing Zero (Custom)'s has an uncertain shape of MAP attack of the final twin buster rifle in each Super Robot Wars series; moreover, the rolling buster rifle is not always present in each series.


 * A silly animation of Wing Zero Custom appears in Super Robot Wars W in it's Final Twin Buster Rifle animation. Whenever the Final Twin Buster Rifle is used, Wing Zero Custom suddenly "teleported", and fell to earth eroded by the atmosphere while aiming and firing at the enemy unit above it. If the enemy unit was destroyed in this attack, Wing Zero Custom will make a pose as in it's Master Grade boxart in front of the exploding enemy unit. While if the enemy unit survived the attack, both Wing Zero Custom and the enemy unit will "teleported" back to the place where they supposed to be. This animation has been replaced by a better and coherent one in Super Robot Wars L.


 * Although it has the Twin Buster Rifle as it's primary weapon, the Wing Zero Custom is categorized as a "speed" unit instead of "long" unit in Gundam Memories: Tatakai no Kioku; moreover, it's named Wing Gundam Zero EW in the game.
 * With the price of 30000 yen, the Wing Gundam Zero Custom Special Version (pearl coating version) holds the record as the most expensive Perfect Grade (PG) Gundam Model Kit, the twice of the price of the regular PG model kit of Wing Zero Custom.