The GAT-X105 Strike Gundam is a prototype multi-mode mobile suit featured in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam SEED. Its primary pilot was Kira Yamato before it was passed down to former mobile armor ace pilot, Mu La Flaga.
Technology & Combat Characteristics
The Strike Gundam is the most versatile of the five Gundams in the Earth Alliance's G Project and can be easily configured for various types of combat. Using its Striker Packs, it can be outfitted for high mobility combat (Aile Strike), long-range assault (Launcher Strike), or melee combat (Sword Strike). In addition, the Striker packs are also equipped with backup batteries that can extend the Strike's operation time. Built on the X100 series frame first adopted by the GAT-X102 Duel Gundam, the Strike also has the Phase Shift armor system. In terms of armament, the Strike itself is equipped only with two head-mounted CIWS and a pair of combat knives stored in the side skirt armor, but it can also be armed with a bazooka, a shield, and a beam rifle. Later on, the Strike Gundam was equipped with a Natural-use OS to allow its new pilot, Mu La Flaga, to control the suit effectively.
Armaments
- "Igelstellung" 75mm multi-barrel Anti Air CIWS
- Anti-aircraft defense cannons mounted on both sides of the head. These light projectile weapons are used to intercept missiles, to destroy lightly armored vehicles, etc.
- "Armor Schneider" Combat Knife
- Stored in the Strike's side skirt armor are a pair of folding "Armor Schneider" combat knives. These knives do not need power from the suit, can be thrown, and their blades vibrate at high speed allowing them to pierce through most armor except PS armor.
- 57mm High-energy Beam Rifle
- The Strike's primary ranged weapon, it can be stored on the side skirt armor, and can easily destroy a ZGMF-1017 GINN with one shot, but is mostly ineffective against suits with anti-beam coating. It has an additional handle that can shift to the side and is often used for extra stability when the Strike is firing its rifle rapidly.
- Bazooka
- An optional ranged weapon, the bazooka fires explosive shells and is loaded with four magazines. As it is a conventional weapon, it does not draw power from the Strike's battery and this results in extended combat endurance. Another advantage is that the bazooka can be used underwater, unlike a beam rifle. The disadvantage of the weapon is that its greater size and weight makes it somewhat less mobile than the beam rifle. In the manga Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Re:, the Bazooka had an alternate Shrapnel munition.
- Shield
- A piece of equipment designed to increase the Strike's defensive capability, it is mounted on the left forearm and/or handheld. The shield does not have phase shift armor, so it is not as durable as the Strike's armor, but it also does not drain energy each time it is hit. The shield's major advantage is that it is anti-beam coated and can block or deflect beam weapon attacks, against which phase shift armor is ineffective. The same shield is also used by GAT-X102 Duel Gundam and other mobile suits.
- XM404 "Grand Slam" Anti-Ship Sword
- A large sword developed by the ZAFT, but used by the Strike to take down enemy mobile suits [1].
- MMI-M100 190mm Anti-aircraft Shotgun
- A weapon picked up from a wrecked AMF-101 DINN and used to destroy the UMF-4A GOOhN [2].
- Saber for Mock Battle
- Equipment used in a mock battle with the ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam in [3].
Special Equipment & Features
- Hardpoints for Striker Packs
- The key feature of the Strike is its ability to equip additional equipment in the form of striker packs. Each striker pack is designed to outfit the Strike with the equipment needed to fulfill specific combat roles with maximum efficiency.
- As with all of the G Project mobile suits, the Strike is equipped with Phase Shift armor. When this armor is activated, the Strike's color changed from a light grey to a white scheme with a bit of blue and red mixed in. The Phase Shift armor renders the Strike immune to physical attacks such as bullets, sword slashes, missiles, etc. However, Phase Shift armor continually drains the battery of energy, shortening the mobile suit's combat endurance, and uses up additional energy when it is hit.
History
To counter ZAFT's advanced mobile suits during the First Alliance-PLANT War, the Earth Alliance's Atlantic Federation secretly collaborated with Morgenroete to develop their own series of mobile suits under the G Project. In January CE 71, five prototype suits were secretly rolled out at the space colony Heliopolis. ZAFT however became aware of these machines, infiltrated the colony on January 25, and stole four of the suits. The only machine to remain out of ZAFT's hands was the Strike, which was first piloted by Murrue Ramius, an EA lieutenant, and then by a civilian Coordinator named Kira Yamato. Kira used the suit to fight against the invading ZAFT forces although he could not prevent the destruction of the colony. Following this battle, the Strike was entrusted to Kira. Thus, Kira joined the crew of the Archangel and fought against the pursuing ZAFT forces both in space and later on Earth.
During the ship's journey to the EA's JOSH-A base in Alaska, Kira battled and defeated several ZAFT ace pilots, including Andrew Waltfeld and the ZAFT Reds who piloted the four stolen Gundams. On April 17, Kira fought an intense battle against his former friend Athrun Zala in his GAT-X303 Aegis. In this battle, the Strike was severely damaged, although its remains were salvaged by the Orb Union. Kira himself was rescued by Junk Guild member Lowe Guele and brought to PLANT, where he stole the ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam with the help of Lacus Clyne.
The Orb Union eventually rebuilt the Strike from the damaged remains and loaded it with the newly developed Natural-use OS. Following the defection of the Archangel crew who sought refuge at Orb in early June, the Strike became the personal mobile suit of ace pilot Mu La Flaga. Mu's Strike sparred with Kira's Freedom (at the end of Gundam SEED Phase 37) and was also involved in the battle to protect Orb against the Alliance's invasion. Sometime later, Mu used the Launcher Strike in the battle against his long-time rival Rau Le Creuset, who was piloting the new ZAFT MS, ZGMF-600 GuAIZ. During the final battle of the war, the Strike was heavily damaged by the superior ZGMF-X13A Providence Gundam piloted by Rau, forcing Mu to retreat Archangel. Before he could enter the ship, he protected the ship from a positron blast from the EA ship Dominion. The positron blast destroyed the Strike but Mu managed to survive the blast.
During the Second Battle of Jachin Due, another Strike, called the MBF-02 Strike Rouge, was built by Orb and piloted by Cagalli Yula Athha. After the war, as part of the "Actaeon Project" MS development plan, at least one other Strike was re-manufactured. This unit was piloted by Phantom Pain pilot, Sven Cal Payang, and had darker phase-shifted colors to better balance energy consumption and armor strength. Sven's Strike Gundam is usually in the form of the Strike Gundam IWSP, which is later upgraded to the more powerful GAT-X105E Strike E, and subsequently, the GAT-X105E+AQM/E-X09S Strike Noir Gundam.
Due to the Strike's successful design, it became the archetype for the majority of the Earth Alliance's mass-produced mobile suits from the GAT-01 Strike Dagger to the GAT-04 Windam. ZAFT would also take the basics of the Strike's Striker Pack feature and use it as the basis for their Wizard packs for their new ZAKU mobile suits.
Variants
Picture Gallery
Designs
Anime
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Games
Gunpla
Action Figures
Notes and Trivia
- Strike's head crest displays the text "CINQUE X-105". "Cinque" means "Five" in Italian and is likely a reference to the suit being the fifth unit developed under the Earth Alliance's "G Project".
- Interestingly, a number of models have shown that Strike can combine with the Aile, Sword, and Launcher Striker Packs at the same time. This form officially referred to as Perfect Strike Gundam in the HD Remastered series of Gundam SEED in which it makes its first debut in a motion picture. It is said to be the original concept behind the ZGMF-X10A Freedom and the later inspiration for the ZGMF-X42S Destiny.
Strike Gundam from Monoeye Gundams
- An early design of the Strike Gundam appears as a hidden unit in SD Gundam G Generation: Monoeye Gundams (2002) as promotion for the then-upcoming Gundam Seed anime.
- In certain Super Robot Wars games (K and L) if anyone other than Cagalli assigned to pilot the Strike Gundam, the unit will become the conventional blue, red, and white-colored GAT-X105 Strike. Meanwhile, if Cagalli is assigned to, the unit will become her personal heavily pink-colored MBF-02 Strike Rouge. It is for plot purposes, the Strike Rouge; this references the recolor of the Strike Rouge for Kira's use in Destiny.
- The "Grand Slam" Anti-Ship Sword is provided in the Perfect Grade model kit of Strike Gundam and Master Grade kit of Strike Gundam IWSP, a weapon that never appears in the anime, but is featured in the special episode 08 of Gundam Evolve.
- The Strike is the only unit of the original five G Weapons to have the traditional face vents.
- In the PlayStation 3 Games, Gundam Extreme Vs. and Gundam Extreme Vs. Full Boost. The opening video for Gundam Seed shows Kira fighting the Providence Gundam in the Strike instead of the Freedom, since the latter was not featured in the game.
- In Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Battle Destiny, the Strike is unlockable in the EAF route, but as a standalone unit at first. The mode equipped with Striker Packs comes later, and has the ability to switch them before launch and mid-battle.
- On a related note, though Kira first used the Strike as a standalone unit during the Heliopolis incident in the anime, such is not the case in the game. He will first appear with Sword Striker equipped. If defeated, he sorties again later with the Launcher Striker.
- The Strike appears in the Extreme Vs. series alongside its Aile, Launcher, Sword, and IWSP packs under Kira at a cost of 2000. The Strike by itself only appears as part of the Aile's melee combos, where it performs a melee combo with the Armor Schneider knives and during its Burst attack, again performing a quick combo with its knives. Additionally, the Strike's CIWS is shared by its Aile, Sword and Launcher forms, albeit the latter having a separate ammo count that's higher than the former two. Kira can also summon Mu La Flaga's TS-MA2mod.00 Moebius Zero for help in all forms. This was later replaced with the FX-550 Skygrasper armed with either the Launcher Striker pack or the Sword Striker pack.
References
- ↑ Gundam Evolve Episode 8
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED PHASE-22, The Sea Dyed Red
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED PHASE-37, Divine Thunder
External links