GN-001REII Gundam Exia Repair II

GN-001REII Gundam Exia Repair II (aka Gundam Exia Repair II, Exia R2, R2) is the repaired and upgraded version of the original GN-001 Gundam Exia, appearing in episode 25 of season 2 of Mobile Suit Gundam 00. It was piloted by Setsuna F. Seiei.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
Exia Repair II (or R2) is the repaired and enhanced version of GN-001RE Gundam Exia Repair. After its GN Drive was salvaged and installed into GN-0000 00 Gundam, Exia was transferred and stored within one of their disclosed asteroid bases. With Celestial Being (CB) short on resources and in need of available units, CB engineers rebuilt Exia and enhanced the mobile suit (MS) with the latest advancements in CB MS technology as a reserve/spare Gundam.

For systems and propulsion, Exia's former GN Particle distribution mechanism, the GN Power Lines, have been replaced with more advanced direct-body particle distribution system used in modern MSs for greater utilization of GN Particles. The rear shows notable differences as a series of thrusters and exhaust ports are added upon its rear shoulder armor, rear torso, and calves for enhanced speed and maneuverability in combat; the enhancements didn't radically alter R2's original armor system. In addition to its new propulsion capabilities, an old system feature for advanced speed on its GN Drive cone was corrected for active use.

Before the discovery of the Trans-Am System, CB engineers attempted to increase Exia's speed by creating a special function with its GN Drive cone. The cone would unlock and temporarily release a large amount of particles to give Exia greater bursts of speed. Because there's no official name to this feature, it has been tentatively dubbed as GN Drive Burst Mode. This burst function was proven unstable and subsequently locked down; it's a feature rarely used. However, CB engineers have since corrected the instability problem(s), but its full capabilities are unclear and it seems (based on observation) to only provide short term advanced attack speed.

For weapons and equipment, its GN Sword (primary weapon) has been retrofitted with an enhanced variant, the GN Sword Kai. The new sword is a cross-evolution design between its former and the GN Sword III of 00 Gundam. Although it bears some similarities to the GN Sword III, it is not as advanced. Although it is enhanced and modernized to utilize more GN Particles through its condenser-enhanced blade, it can not generate particles from the blade. Like its predecessor, the GN Sword Kai also equips a GN Beam Rifle for mid-ranged combat.

Due to the power of the GN Sword Kai, Exia's original Seven Swords System was omitted; it still retains a pair of GN Beam Sabers (relocated from the back, now on the hip) for high-speed melee combat. The original GN Shield was lost in combat four years ago and CB engineers never refitted R2 with a new shield.

In terms of combat tactics, R2 relies on high-speed melee combat to destroy its targets. Using a combination of its great speed and the GN Sword Kai, it can swiftly cut down enemy targets in a matter of seconds. Because the GN Sword Kai is a large and heavy weapon, it's not effective against fast-acting enemy targets. In such situations, Exia can deploy its GN Beam Sabers for high-speed close quarters combat (CQC); its last line of offense is in the forearm mounted GN Vulcans, used for intercepting light mobile suits, aircraft, and/or missiles.

After the battle against GN-000 0 Gundam, Exia was salvaged once again, but its GN Drive was damaged beyond repair. With resources in short supply and MSs in high demand, CB engineers repaired Exia once more and supplemented its missing GN Drive with a particle storage tank and added a long range rifle for limited assignments and interventions. CB engineers re-dubbed Exia as GN-001REIII Gundam Exia Repair III (aka R3).

Armaments

 * GN Sword Kai
 * The primary weapon of the repaired Exia is the GN Sword Kai. While virtually identical to Exia's original GN Sword, the new weapon incorporates the new more powerful green Condenser material edge technology that was also seen on the GN Sword III. It is said to be much more powerful than the previous GN Sword that the Seven Sword System was no longer needed.


 * GN Beam Saber
 * The improved Exia features only two beam sabers carried over from the original Exia. The beam saber hilts are stored on the side skirts where the GN Blades used to be stored. Unlike Exia's standard beam sabers, the lengths of the beam blades can be adjusted. The side-skirts can rotate a full 360 for quick access.


 * GN Vulcan
 * These weapons are smaller cousins to the GN Beam weapon. Typically locations include head and wrist mounted system, both ensuring a wide field of fire. Purely secondary weapons, they are used to engage soft targets (missiles, GN Fangs, etc) and in a defensive capacity. Setsuna only fires one shot in the battle with Ribbons Almark piloting GN-000 0 Gundam in Season 2 Episode 25.

System Features

 * GN Drive Burst Mode
 * A feature of Exia's GN Drive chassis. By releasing the limiter compartment, a temporary burst state of the GN Drive is possible. Since regular use is not recommended, this ability was rarely activated. This feature was also available on the Original Exia but was only seen onscreen being used once with the R2.


 * Optical Camouflage


 * Trans-Am System

History
Setsuna spent the five years after Operation Fallen Angels independent of Celestial being. Both he and a crippled Exia returned to the fold in 2312. After its GN Drive was transferred to 00 Gundam, Exia was moved to an alternate location. Subsequent evaluation found that despite the serious damage inflicted by Graham Aker's GN Flag, wear and tear from nearly half a decade of improvised maintenance, and a crippling defeat at the hands of an A-Laws Ahead, the chassis was still structurally sound. The decision was made to repair and refit Exia for use as a second-line unit, either with a GN Particle storage tank, similar to 0 Gundam's configuration for its final combat sortie under Celestial Being's banner, or by swapping the GN Drive of a front-line Gundam that was too damaged for combat.

Eventually, Exia R2 was deployed under the second configuration. The 00 Raiser was severely damaged after battling Ribbons Almark's CB-0000G/C Reborns Gundam/Cannon and left with only a single GN Drive. Sumeragi Lee Noriega ordered the remaining drive fitted to R2 so Setsuna could continue to fight. Together once again with his original Gundam, Setsuna faced Ribbons and 0 Gundam Type ACD in one final battle. While the victory would go to Setsuna, R2 was severely damaged in battle when the cockpit was penetrated by 0 Gundam's beam saber and when 0 Gundam subsequently exploded, the GN Sword Kai was also destroyed. In this same battle, Exia's GN Drive also somehow got damaged to the point of destruction or non-working state. The circumstances of how it got destroyed is not know nor elaborated, although speculatively it may be related to the usage of the unstable Burst Mode as well as the beam saber damage taken from 0 Gundam. Exia however was eventually repaired and was usable again in the future and was used by Setsuna during his ELS investigation before encountering Saji and Louise. .

Notes & Trivia

 * Notice that in episode 25 of the first season, Graham's beam saber pierced Exia's right side, whereas in episode 25 of the second season 0 Gundam pierced its left side.


 * The R2 has the record of having the shortest operation time of a Gundam piloted by a main character before becoming unusable, about 3 minutes including deployment. Since Exia R2 was reused by Setsuna during his investigation in A.D. 2314, this fact is disputed. This, however, doesn't change the fact that Exia R2 has the record of having the shortest animated operation time.
 * Along with the 0 Gundam, Exia R2 did not appear in Super Robot Wars Z2 Saisei-hen, included in the final scenario of Gundam 00 scenario, where they were supposed to replace the role of 00 Raiser and Reborns Gundam. According to the rumors, the lack of funds of the developer is the reason of their absence in the game.