OZ-13MS Gundam Epyon

OZ-13MS Gundam Epyon is a fictional Gundam mobile suit appearing in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and derivative works. Epyon was designed in 1995 by Kunio Okawara, along with many of the other mobile suits appearing in the anime. There are controversies of it's name coming from the Greek word meaning "next" or its name meaning "the devil".

Role in plot
Epyon is created by Treize Khushrenada during his exile beginning in episode 26 of the anime. It is based on the five Gundams sent from space, and on the Tallgeese, the prototype mobile suit from which all military mobile suits are derived, and it is considered to be one of the most powerful Gundam along with Wing Zero in the After Colony Era. The suit first appears at the end of episode 28, a clip show. The completed Epyon is presented to Heero Yuy by Treize in episode 34. Heero pilots it until episode 37, when he and Zechs Merquise meet in combat. Following the battle, in which Zechs is piloting Wing Zero, the two pilots exchange suits.

Zechs uses Epyon until the conclusion of the series, becoming a symbol for the White Fang rebellion. He uses the suit to single-handedly destroy OZ Space Fortress Barge in episode 41, and engages in combat with Heero Yuy again during episodes 44, 48, and 49. Following the disabling of Epyon at the conclusion of this battle, Zechs uses the Gundam to destroy part of the Battleship Libra, a superweapon, stolen from OZ by the White Fang, set on a collision course with Earth. Zechs and Epyon are believed destroyed in the explosion, and while Zechs returns in Endless Waltz, Epyon is not seen again. It is unkown what happen to Epyon(if it is damaged or destoryed).

History
Late in the year AC 195 Treize Khushrenada was relieved of his duties as the Commander of OZ as was placed under house-arrest. Treize had been intrigued by the Gundams and their pilots and so designed a Gundam which he called Epyon. Treize had a highly developed sense of honor and so designed the suit to be a "dueling" mobile suit, equiping it with short range weaponry only: a beam saber and a tail-like heat rod. Treize was also able to equip the Epyon's cockpit with the Zero System.

Treize had hoped that a Gundam pilot would come forth to pilot the suit, particularly Heero Yuy. Thus, Treize presented the Epyon Gundam to the Gundam Pilot Heero Yuy when Heero had sought him out with the intention of assassinating him. Heero, however, did not kill Treize and accepted the Epyon.

After boarding the mobile suit, Treize warned Heero not to be a 'winner' when piloting it, meaning that achieving victory should not be on his mind, only the fighting itself. When the Romefeller Foundation launched an invasion of the Sanc Kingdom, Heero piloted the Epyon into battle. Having not yet mastered the Zero System however, Heero suffered a near-nervous breakdown and fled the battle. Relena's brother, Milliardo, arrived in the Wing Zero having heard of the invasion, but was too late. Milliardo and Heero dueled in the Wing Zero and Epyon respectively, and fought themselves to a stalemate. Unable to determine a victory using their Zero Systems, both combatants reached a stalemate and ceased. The two exchanged suits with Heero taking the Wing Zero and Milliardo taking the Epyon.

Soon after Milliardo began piloting Epyon the group known as the White Fang rose out of the ashes of the Treize Faction and claimed that they had been charged with defending the Colonies. The chief of the White Fang Quinze approached Milliardo and offered him the leadership of the White Fang. Milliardo accepted and continued to pilot the Epyon against the forces of the new Earth Sphere Unified Nation. Milliardo flew Epyon against the Gundam Pilots in the final battle of the war in December of AC 195. In this battle Milliardo, in Epyon, once again challenged Heero Yuy in the Wing Zero. The two fought on and around the gigantic space station Libra. The battle was once again a stalemate as they had reached the last surviving section of Libra, which was falling towards the Earth. Taking the fight inside Libra itself, the two fought until Epyon's left arm was severed, giving Heero a decisive win. As Heero/Wing Zero was about to self destruct to finish the section of Libra off for good, Milliardo convinced Heero to leave and he used Epyon to destroy the reactor which powered that section of the station. Milliardo was presumed killed in the explosion and Epyon was never seen again.

Design
Epyon is the physical manifestation of Treize Khushrenada's ideals. The suit is armed with weapons effective only in close quarters, avoiding ranged weaponry entirely. The main weapon is a large beam sword, connected directly to the suit's powerplant as opposed to running on its own internal power source, allowing its length and intensity to be adjusted considerably to cut through even heavily armored mobile suits like the Virgo. The second is a 'heat rod', a segmented whip-like projected chain housed in Epyon's shield. Deactivated, it can be used to trip or entangle the opponent. When activated, the material becomes super-heated, allowing it to cut and burn through armor. The Epyon Claws serve as landing gear in mobile armor mode.

Epyon is also capable of transforming into a mobile armor mode, which bore a striking resemblance to a two-headed dragon. In this mode, Epyon is capable of more fuel efficient long-range flight, although its weapons are inaccessible.

The other main feature of the design is the inclusion of the ZERO System, a high-powered combat super computer capable of transmitting situational information, statistics and battle data directly to the pilot's brain. The Epyon's version is identical to the ZERO System found in Wing Zero, with the only difference being that Epyon's system operates through a helmet interface as opposed to the various cockpit monitors common to all mobile suits.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
This mobile suit was created by Treize Khushrenada during the time he was placed under confinement by the Romefeller Foundation. Based on data from the Tallgeese and the other Gundams, and in keeping with Treize's philosophy, the Gundam Epyon, Greek for "next," eschews cowardly long-range weapons in favor of chivalrous close combat. Since it has no projectile weapons, so its main weapons are a segmented, whip-like heat rod, and a powerful beam sword whose energy is supplied by a direct connection to the Epyon's generator. The Epyon can also transform into a "mobile armor" mode (referred to as 'dragon-mode') for high-speed flight. Treize installed a modified version of the Zero System into the cockpit as well, making this suit a powerful opponent. It was originally given to Heero but he traded it with Zechs after their battle at the Sanc Kingdom. It continued to be used by Zechs until it was destroyed in the final episode.

Search Eye

A search eye for used for combat, of the same type used by the Shenlong Gundam. It also gathers data that the cameras and antennas cannot.

Appearances

 * Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Episodes 34-49