XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero

The XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero (aka Wing Zero) is a mobile suit that appears in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and its sequel OVA/movie Endless Waltz. Though having many pilots during its lifetime, the unit was most famously piloted by the series' main protagonist Heero Yuy.

Wing Gundam Zero

 * Wing Zero was designed by the five Gundam engineers fifteen years prior to the events of the Eve Wars. It 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 the Gundam Epyon), but because of this dangerous mental interface, it was ultimately never constructed. The plans remained hidden away until Quatre Raberba Winner desperately built it to carry out his revenge following his father's death. Unlike the gundams constructed based on its design, the Wing Gundam Zero was built to be capable of both ground and space combat from the beginning. Like the Wing Gundam, it can transform into a high-speed flight mode dubbed "Neo-Bird Mode." Furthermore, its signature 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 Gundam Zero Ver. EW

 * Wing Zero Ver. EW, also known as the "Wing Zero Custom," is Hajime Katoki's redesigned version of the Gundam. The version of Wing Zero that appears in Endless Waltz differs from the one seen in the TV series mainly in appearance, but there are notable feature differences. It loses the piledriver shield and, subsequently, the Neo-Bird Mode of the TV 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 Gundam. The wings on the Wing Zero Custom are highly important as if any one of them were destroyed, the speed of the Gundam would be greatly reduced. The wings also contribute to the AMBAC of the Wing Zero Custom.

Armaments

 * Twin Buster Rifle
 * Wing Zero's primary armament is its twin buster rifle, a weapon capable of destroying objects several miles in size, including an entire space colony. When separated into two individual buster rifles, they could destroy entire waves of targets. The rifle could also be attached to the suit's shield. It possesses power several times greater than that of the Wing Gundam's buster rifle, which already had a formidable power output. Unlike the Wing Gundam's Buster Rifle however, the Twin Buster Rifle was powered by the Mobile suit carrying it, rather than expendable energy packs. The Wing Zero Custom's twin buster rifle features a much larger elaborate design, though functionally behaves the same way.


 * Beam Sabers
 * On the TV version, Wing Zero's beam sabers are stored within the shoulder armor for quick access. In the Endless Waltz version they are placed within the pylons that connect the two smaller wings to the back. They possess enough power to compete with the Gundam Epyon's powerful beam sword, and can easily melt through even the toughest Gundanium Alloy. They are also capable of operating underwater much like the beam scythe of the Gundams Deathscythe and Deathscythe Hell. Despite possessing two beam sabers, however, Wing Zero is never seen using more than one in combat during the series.


 * Machine Cannons
 * 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 see more use than vulcans. Unlike the other Gundams, the Wing Zero's Machine Cannons are stored away when not in use.


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


 * 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 the Endless Waltz version.

Special Features

 * Neo-Bird Mode
 * When transforming into Neo-Bird Mode, the Gundam's head and waist rotate backward, the legs fold up with the feet pointing backward, the shoulder pads fold close, the piledriver shield attaches itself onto the Gundam's back to form the nose, the individual halves of the twin buster rifle attach themselves onto the Gundam's shoulders, and the Gundam's wing binders open. Unlike the Wing Gundam's Bird Mode, which was limited to flight travel within Earth's atmosphere, Wing Zero's Neo-Bird Mode allows it to fly either on Earth or in space. This transformation ability is omitted from the Endless Waltz version of Wing Zero.


 * Search Eye
 * Wing Zero's search eye is only used for combat and is of the same type used by the five Operation Meteor Gundams. 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.


 * Self-Destruct System
 * As with the five Operation Meteor Gundams, Wing Zero is equipped with a self-detonation device.


 * 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 the 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 the Gundam pilot Duo Maxwell, and eventually went insane and later died during the battle. Furthermore, Wing Zero's cockpit 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-00W0 Wing Gundam Proto Zero
 * 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. 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 Winner discovers a copy of the blueprints and begins work on the Gundam to replace his then-destroyed Gundam Sandrock. In the same episode, Quatre's father is killed by OZ. 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 Yuy and Trowa Barton (both 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 Trowa nearly loses his life in the process, 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.

Trant retains Wing Zero, testing it again with Duo Maxwell at the controls in episode 32. After Duo escapes, Trant attempts to fight Duo's Gundam 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, though 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 the Universal Century, 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 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 the Gundam Epyon. After their duel ends in a draw, they exchange Gundams before parting ways, leaving Heero with Wing Zero (becoming a perfect match for Heero, due to Wing Zero being essentially an upgraded version of the Wing Gundam).

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 discovers his true enemy and joins the Gundam team, while Trowa regains his memories that he had lost after his near-death experience). 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 rebuilt 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 Zech, before using Wing Zero's twin buster rifle to destroy the wreckage of the battleship Libra superweapon before it can impact with Earth.

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, led by Mariemaia Khushrenada, begins to perform the original Operation Meteor, Quatre sets out to retrieve the four Gundams, sending Wing Zero to rendezvous in space with Heero, following his efforts to prevent the de-orbiting of Colony L3-X18999.

After retrieving Wing Zero, Heero flies to Earth to save the kidnapped Relena Darlian, but is intercepted by Wufei in the Altron Gundam (who is on the side of the Mariemaia Army), and the two Gundams duel each other above Earth's orbit. During the battle, Heero doesn't fight to his fullest extent (due to him believing the duel to be pointless) and Wing Zero receives heavy damage from both Altron and the re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. Eventually, Heero gives up the fight and causes Wing Zero to sink into the ocean, at which point Wufei comes to his senses. Sometime later, however, Wing Zero re-activates on its own and supposedly convinces Heero to complete his mission, yet again implying the Gundam has a mind of its own.

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 Mariemaia and her troops are hiding in. Heero fires the rifle three times with precise accuracy and succeeds in destroying the bunker shields. However, the continuous recoil of the rifle (along with enemy fire from the compound below) proves to be too much for the already badly-damaged Wing Zero to withstand, causing the Gundam to start falling apart while firing the second shot and then explode altogether while firing the third shot, though the remains of its torso crash to the ground, allowing Heero to survive and climb out of the wreckage (although barely able to stand). After Mariemaia's surrender, the rest of the Gundams are also destroyed, along with all other mobile suits.

Gundam Video Games

 * Wing Zero is playable unit for Gundam vs Gundam, Gundam vs Gundam Next Plus and Extreme Vs as a DLC unit.
 * In Gundam vs Gundam Next Plus, Wing Zero Custom is a playable PSP exclusive unit. While it uses the same armaments as Wing Zero, it uses them differently. It only has four shots for the twin buster rifle (2 in each) but each shot instantly knocks down targets and it has three charge levels and splits the power when two enemies are on sight. While it can't use the wings as a shield, it can use them to perform large jumps to evade attacks and can even do this in the air to "double jump".
 * Interestingly, the TV and EW versions seem to have swapped movesets, mainly with their twin buster rifles.
 * In the Dynasty Warriors: Gundam games, Wing Zero is a playable unit, while Wing Zero Custom is not. The Wing Zero has received a slight touch-up in design, most noticeably gold-plating on its forearms.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * Wing Zero Custom appears as an extra unit in the PS2 game, Encounters in Space that is playable from the outset in the NA version but is DLC in the Japanese version. It can only be played in the game's versus mode.

Crossover Video Games

 * In Super Robot Wars 64 for Nintendo 64, Wing Zero Custom can be obtained simply by fully upgrading 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 the Endless Waltz storyline; thus, the GX-9901-DX Gundam Double X crushed the shield with a single shot from the twin satellite cannon.
 * However, the twin buster rifle was only fired once instead of three times, this may be a factor.
 * 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 first 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 joined the battle. Lastly, the Wing Zero Custom also has a role in the Battle of Daedalus, disabling the Requiem cannon with it's twin buster rifle.
 * Wing Zero (Custom) 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 "teleports", and falls to earth eroded by the atmosphere while aiming and firing at the enemy unit above it. If the enemy unit is 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 survives the attack, both Wing Zero Custom and the enemy unit will be "teleported" back to the place where they're supposed to be. This animation has been replaced by a better and coherent one in Super Robot Wars L.
 * This might have been done to mix things up as Endless Waltz is more heavily featured than the TV series in the Super Robot Wars games.
 * In The Great Battle VI, TV Wing Gundam Zero is one of main protagonists, alongside with Ultraman Powered and Kamen Rider Black RX. As the series' standard, Wing Zero (as well as other MS) is a sentient robot in this game. Unlike the other two characters, Wing Gundam Zero's default attack are its machine cannons, which is the weakest attack among the three but has slightly farther range, it doesn't have charge attacks either, though it will switch to the more powerful beam saber if the enemy is close enough or if it is airborne. With a Power-Up collected, Wing Zero will use the twin buster rifle for his default attack instead of the machine cannons, this attack can travel across the screen like the other two's charge attack and is even more powerful. Wing Zero still switches to the beam saber in close range and air however. Like Black RX and Powered, Wing Zero will pilot a Flash Jet fighter during a vertical shooting stage.
 * In Super Robot Wars Z2 Saisen-hen, Wing Zero's Zero system was originally developed by Celestial Being, but the Five Scientists (also Celestial Being) members, took the Zero system and proceeded to build Wing Zero around it.
 * In fact the Zero System and Twin Drives were originally meant to be on the same mobile suit.

Notes & Trivia

 * Gundam Ace magazine polls have placed the Wing Zero Custom design fourth and first in the top 30 Mobile Suits of all time.
 * In the manga version of Endless Waltz, Wing Zero's twin buster rifle is shown to be housed in between the two wings that provide the initial thrusters. This could explain how, in the anime version of Endless Waltz, Wing Zero appears with its buster rifle in hand upon its arrival in Brussels; even though in all of the Gundam's scenes prior to this, it is not shown having the rifle stored anywhere.
 * With the price of 30000 yen, the Wing 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.
 * In the original manga adaptation of Gundam Wing, Wing Zero's twin buster rifle halves are shown to be amplified many times in power when multiple Gundams are linked together, becoming powerful enough to destroy the entirety of the spacestation Libra with three Gundams connected to each rifle. However, this isn't shown in any other adaptation of the series, manga, anime, video game or otherwise.