History Fridge / AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar

* [=AWWNB's=] ideology is flawed from the start: if you ask other players about what kind of person Cipher is you'd probably get [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation all sorts of answers]]. The same could be said for other aces and the people in-universe. The old Pixy at Avalon Dam claimed Cipher and him are two side of the same coin, while the truth is every human is a vast gamut of colors, all inherently ''different''. The metaphorical boundary is never going away because everyone is their own border, as current Pixy seems to realize.

* [=AWWNB's=] ideology is flawed from the start: if you ask other players about who Cipher is you'd probably get [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation all sorts of answers]]. The same could be said for other aces and the people in-universe. The old Pixy at Avalon Dam claimed Cipher and him are two side of the same coin, while the truth is every human is a vast gamut of colors, all inherently ''different''. The metaphorical boundary is never going away because everyone is their own border, as current Pixy seems to realize.

* [=AWWNB's=] ideology is flawed from the start: if you ask other players about who Cipher is you'd probably get [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation all sorts of answers]]. The same could be said for other aces and the people in-universe. The old Pixy at Avalon Dam claimed Cipher and him are two side of the same coin, while the truth is every human is a vast gamut of colors, all inherently ''different''. The metaphorical boundary is never going away because everyone is their own border, as current Pixy seems to realize. Hence the ending line:
-->'''Pixy''': "Trust is vital in a peaceful world, but that will never happen."

* ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar'' has a lot of demonic or hell overtones, what with "Galm" squadron (Garm), [[NumberOfTheBeast the 6th Air Division, 66th Air force Unit]], and Cipher eventually being called the [[FromNobodytoNightmare Demon Lord]]. There's one stage, a recreation of the firebombing of Dresden in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, where Cipher escorts bomber squadrons to destroy Belkan munitions in the city of Hoffnung. The bombers indiscriminately drop all over the city, prompting one enemy to say over the radio, "Abandon Hoffnung!" It's a BilingualBonus (hoffnung means "hope" in German) but I never noticed the reference to [[Literature/TheDivineComedy Dante's Inferno]] before: "abandon all hope ye who enter here." -- Tropers/{{Zephid}}
** Speaking of demonic references: a few players thought that Ace Combat Zero's [[AwesomeMusic/AceCombat main theme]], "Zero", was too derivative of its predecessor, "The Unsung War" (to the point of sharing the same lyrics describing the Razgriz legend, even though it is not mentioned once in the entire game). Other fans have tried to find a deeper meaning behind the song's composition, e.g. "Do the flamenco guitar motifs = Cipher originated from Sapin?" or "Did Cipher have a direct connection to Blaze and co.?" But the story of Galm Team resembles the Razgriz mythology more than Wardog Squadron ''ever did''. At no period in Ace Combat 5 do you doubt the intentions of your character and your fellow wingmates; while your military allegiance changes and the last third of the game draws the warring nations into [[GreyandGrayMorality Grey and Gray Morality]], your lionization as the manifestation of Razgriz is more an extension of Yuktobanian soldiers fearing your capabilities, plus a whiff of Belkan propaganda, than anything else. (Wardog was re-named Razgriz in an act of AppropriatedAppellation.) In ''ACZ'', despite which [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation Ace Style]] you take, you start off as a nondescript mercenary - with the sole goal of destruction for personal advantage - and your buddy, Galm 2, is presented as a MemeticBadass instead. In other words, an AntiHero paired with the FamedInStory. Mission 12 (where you witness Strangereal's [[ToneShift Hiroshima and Nagasaki]]) is when Cipher and Solo Wing Pixy's character arcs are [[DespairEventHorizon drastically altered]]. As the Allied Forces and Belka "squabble" over the material gains and losses of a potential peace treaty, every sortie the Demon Lord partakes from then on is to achieve a real end to the conflict behind the scenes, to [[RedemptionQuest prevent further death]]. When Cipher and Pixy meet for the final time, who is the [[HeelFaceTurn hero]] and who is the [[FaceHeelTurn demon]]? At the conclusion of Mission 18, the new Razgriz is slain by the former, and in a [[HistoryRepeats cyclical]] fashion (like a [[{{Pun}} Möbius strip]]), begins to seek out his own redemption.
*** Indeed, the Razgriz poem (and ''A Blue Dove for the Princess'') may be best understood as a psychological allegory - confronting one's [[EnemyWithin inner demons]] - rather than a literal supernatural being.
** And the [[Myth/KingArthur Arthurian]] symbolism! Including an important one: When Pixy defects, he is frequently referred to in royal terms, such as "Cinderella" in Mission 12 by Wizard 1 and as Avalon's "Sleeping King" on Gault 1's epitaph. However, when Pixy ultimately appears, he flies the ADFX-02 Morgan, named after [[DecoyProtagonist King Arthur's nemesis]]. If Pixy isn't the true '[[KinginTheMountain king in the mountain]],' then who is? Well, who [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkTyRa-hV5A&t=194s pulled out "Tauberg's Sword"?]]

** And the [[Myth/KingArthur Arthurian]] symbolism! Including an important one: When Pixy defects, he is frequently referred to in royal terms, such as "Cinderella" in Mission 12 by Wizard 1 and as Avalon's "Sleeping King" on Gault 1's epitaph. However, when Pixy ultimately appears, he flies the ADFX-02 Morgan, named after [[DecoyProtagonist King Arthur's nemesis]]. If Pixy isn't the true '[[KinginTheMountain king in the mountain]],' then who is? Well, who [[https://youtu.be/DztcE0R-hmE?t=2m57s pulled out "Tauberg's Sword"?]]

* Mission 8 is named "Merlon." Wait a second, [[SpellMyNameWithAnS shouldn't that be "Merlin,"]] to go along with the rest of the game's heavy Myth/KingArthur references? Not this time. A [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlon merlon]] is the solid upright section of a castle wall's battlement, i.e. the raised parts that defending archers hide behind to avoid return fire--something [[TakeCover you're going to be wishing you had]] when [[WaveMotionGun Excalibur]] starts firing at the end of the mission.

** Speaking of demonic references: a few players thought that Ace Combat Zero's [[AwesomeMusic/AceCombat main theme]], "Zero", was too derivative of its predecessor, "The Unsung War" (to the point of sharing the same lyrics describing the Razgriz legend, even though it is not mentioned once in the entire game). Other fans have tried to find a deeper meaning behind the song's composition, e.g. "Do the flamenco guitar motifs = Cipher originated from Sapin?" or "Did Cipher have a direct connection to Blaze and co.?" But the story of Galm Team resembles the Razgriz mythology more than Wardog Squadron ''ever did''. At no period in Ace Combat 5 do you doubt the intentions of your character and your fellow wingmates; while your military allegiance changes and the last third of the game draws the warring nations into [[GreyandGrayMorality Grey and Gray Morality]], your lionization as the manifestation of Razgriz is more an extension of Yuktobanian soldiers fearing your capabilities, plus a whiff of Belkan propaganda, than anything else. (Wardog was re-named Razgriz in an act of AppropriatedAppellation.) In ''ACZ'', despite which [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation Ace Style]] you take, you start off as a nondescript mercenary - with the sole goal of destruction for personal advantage - and your buddy, Galm 2, is presented as a MemeticBadass instead. In other words, an AntiHero paired with the FamedInStory. Mission 12 (where you witness Strangereal's [[ToneShift Hiroshima and Nagasaki]]) is when Cipher and Solo Wing Pixy's character arcs are [[DespairEventHorizon drastically altered]]. As the Allied Forces and Belka "squabble" over the material gains and losses of a potential peace treaty, every sortie the Demon Lord partakes from then on is to achieve a real end to the conflict behind the scenes, to [[RedemptionQuest prevent further death]]. When Cipher and Pixy meet for the final time, who is the [[HeelFaceTurn hero]] and who is the [[FaceHeelTurn demon]]? At the conclusion of Mission 18, the new Razgriz is slain by the former, and in a [[HistoryRepeats cyclical]] fashion (like a [[IncrediblyLamePun Möbius strip]]), begins to seek out his own redemption.

* The name Cipher could refer to the covert nature of his identity in-universe or to the broader Aesop of the game; that people are rarely able to be morally decoded and categorized easily.

** Once his laser is disabled, he fires off [=MPBMs=] and plays keepaway with Cipher, taking advantage of its remote-detonated large blast radius that speaks to practical sensibilities (Soldier).
** After damaging him enough, he'll stop using the special missiles and comes at Cipher directly. Under the protection of ECM shields save for Morgan's front air intake, Cipher is also forced to take him head on, resulting in them trading missile shots every time they pass each other, just like knights in a joust (Knight).

* Mission 8 is named "Merlon." Wait a second, [[SpellMyNameWithAnS shouldn't that be "Merlin,"]] to go along with the rest of the game's heavy Myth/KingArthur references? Not this time. A [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlon merlon]] is the solid upright section of a castle wall's battlement, i.e. the raised parts that defending archers hide behind to avoid return fire. Something [[TakeCover you're going to be wishing you had]] when [[WaveMotionGun the Excalibur]] starts firing at the end of the mission.

** Espada Team flies two mismatched European aircraft (Espada 1 flies a Swedish J35J Draken and Espada 2 flies a French Rafale M), which fits with both the obvious European inspiration of their home country of Sapin, even if the real country of Spain doesn't operate either of their particular aircraft. It also emphasizes that AWWNB is not a mono-national organization and that their forces aren't necessarily particularly well organized. Espada 1's choice of a J35 Draken, a fairly old and obsolete aircraft which had been retired in real life by 1995 suggests an overconfidence in his abilities, operating a significantly older aircraft than his wingman.

** Speaking of demonic references: a few players thought that Ace Combat Zero's [[AwesomeMusic/AceCombat main theme]], "Zero," was too derivative of its predecessor, "The Unsung War" (to the point of sharing the same lyrics describing the Razgriz legend, even though it is not mentioned once in the entire game). Other fans have tried to find a deeper meaning behind the song's composition, e.g. "Do the flamenco guitar motifs = Cipher originated from Sapin?" or "Did Cipher have a direct connection to Blaze and co.?" But the story of Galm Team resembles the Razgriz mythology more than Wardog Squadron ''ever did''. At no period in Ace Combat 5 do you doubt the intentions of your character and your fellow wingmates; while your military allegiance changes and the last third of the game draws the warring nations into [[GreyandGrayMorality Grey and Gray Morality]], your lionization as the manifestation of Razgriz is more an extension of Yuktobanian soldiers fearing your capabilities, plus a whiff of Belkan propaganda, than anything else. (Wardog was re-named Razgriz in an act of AppropriatedAppellation.) In ACZ, despite which [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation Ace Style]] you take, you start off as a nondescript mercenary - with the sole goal of destruction for personal advantage - and your buddy, Galm 2, is presented as a MemeticBadass instead. In other words, an AntiHero paired with the FamedInStory. Mission 12 (where you witness Strangereal's [[ToneShift Hiroshima and Nagasaki]]) is when Cipher and Solo Wing Pixy's character arcs are [[DespairEventHorizon drastically altered]]. As the Allied Forces and Belka "squabble" over the material gains and losses of a potential peace treaty, every sortie the Demon Lord partakes from then on is to achieve a real end to the conflict behind the scenes, to [[RedemptionQuest prevent further death]]. When Cipher and Pixy meet for the final time, who is the [[HeelFaceTurn hero]] and who is the [[FaceHeelTurn demon]]? At the conclusion of Mission 18, the new Razgriz is slain by the former, and in a [[HistoryRepeats cyclical]] fashion (like a [[IncrediblyLamePun Möbius strip]]), begins to seek out his own redemption.

** He first tries to snipe Cipher with his TLS, a weapon few pilots and planes could survive for long, only for PJ to [[TakingTheBullet take it instead]]. He doesn't bat an eye over downing a guy he knew and moves on to take on Cipher with it despite the failed ambush, demonstrating great ruthlessness (Mercenary).

** After damaging him enough, he'll stop using the special missiles and come at Cipher directly. Under the protection of ECM shields save for Morgan's front air intake, Cipher is forced to take him head on, trading missile shots like knights jousting each other (Knight).

!!FridgeBrilliance:

** Speaking of demonic references: a few players thought that Ace Combat Zero's [[AwesomeMusic/AceCombat main theme]], "Zero," was too derivative of its predecessor, "The Unsung War" (to the point of sharing the same lyrics describing the Razgriz legend, even though it is not mentioned once in the entire game). Other fans have tried to find a deeper meaning behind the song's composition, e.g. "Do the flamenco guitar motifs = Cipher originated from Sapin?" or "Did Cipher have a direct connection to Blaze and co.?" But the story of Galm Team resembles the Razgriz mythology more than Wardog Squadron ''ever did''. At no period in Ace Combat 5 do you doubt the intentions of your character and your fellow wingmates; while your military allegiance changes and the last third of the game draws the warring nations into [[GreyandGrayMorality Grey and Gray Morality]], your lionization as the manifestation of Razgriz is more an extension of Yuktobanian soldiers fearing your capabilities, plus a whiff of Belkan propaganda, than anything else. (Wardog was re-named Razgriz in an act of AppropriatedAppellation.) In ACZ, despite which [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation Ace Style]] you take, you start off as a nondescript mercenary - with the sole goal of destruction for personal advantage - and your buddy, Galm 2, is presented as a MemeticBadass instead. In other words, an AntiHero paired with the FamedInStory. Mission 12 (where you witness Strangereal's [[ToneShift Hiroshima and Nagasaki]]) is when Cipher and Solo Wing Pixy's character arcs are [[DespairEventHorizon drastically altered]]. As the Allied Forces and Belka "squabble" over the material gains and losses of a potential peace treaty, every sortie the Demon Lord partakes from then on is to achieve a real end to the conflict behind the scenes, to [[RedemptionQuest prevent further death]]. When Cipher and Pixy meet for the final time, [[spoiler: who is the [[HeelFaceTurn hero]] and who is the [[FaceHeelTurn demon]]? At the conclusion of Mission 18, the new Razgriz is slain by the former, and in a [[HistoryRepeats cyclical]] fashion (like a [[IncrediblyLamePun Möbius strip]]), begins to seek out his own redemption.]]

!!!FridgeHorror:

** And the [[Myth/KingArthur Arthurian]] symbolism! Including an important one: When Pixy [[spoiler: defects, he is frequently referred to in royal terms, such as "Cinderella" in Mission 12 by Wizard 1 and as Avalon's "Sleeping King" on Gault 1's epitaph. However, when Pixy ultimately appears, he flies the ADFX-02 Morgan, named after [[DecoyProtagonist King Arthur's nemesis]]. If Pixy isn't the true '[[KinginTheMountain king in the mountain]],' then who is? Well, who [[https://youtu.be/DztcE0R-hmE?t=2m57s pulled out "Tauberg's Sword"?]]]]

Both this game and ''VideoGame/AceCombat2'' feature "yellow" targets: either wounded soldiers or civillian objects that, by the laws of war, should be spared from destruction. In both games, the player character is a mercenary, however, in ''2'', destroying "non-targets" earns the player a penalty by reducing their reward, while in ''Zero'', their reward is ''increased'' for destroying such objects. This, combined with [[spoiler: [[ObligatoryWarCrimeScene the bombing of Hoffhung]]]], shows that the Allied Forces aren't just retaliating against Belka's aggression, they want its people to suffer.

* The name Cipher could refer to the covert nature of his identity in-universe or to the boarder aesop of the game; that people are rarely able to be morally decoded and categorized easily.

** And the [[Myth/KingArthur Arthurian]] symbolism! Including an important one: When Pixy [[spoiler: defects, he is frequently referred to in royal terms, such as "Cinderella" in Mission 12 by Wizard 1 and as Avalon's "Sleeping King" on Gault 1's epitaph. However, when Pixy ultimately appears, he flies the ADFX-02 Morgan, named after [[DecoyProtagonist King Arthur's nemesis]]. If Pixy isn't the true '[[KinginTheMountain king in the mountain]],' then who is? Well, who [[https://youtu.be/DztcE0R-hmE?t=2m57s pulled out "Tauberg's Sword"?]]]]

** Gelb Team, aside from being a reference to the infamous Yellow Squadron from ''VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies'', is a two-man team that is extremely skilled and flies perfectly in tandem, and in real life, there were exactly enough Su-37s built for their squadron. Also, the logical difficulty of keeping a rare, prototype airplane like that in good repair fits well with their constant maintenance issues.

!!Fridge Brilliance:

*** Meanwhile, Wizard's planes, the F-16 XL and YF-23, are openly suited to the knight style, as the F-16 XL carries SAAM and XAGM, which are precision weapons (despite the XAGM's indiscriminate targeting, its short range makes it rather easy to keep it only locked on red and green targets), and the YF-23 carries [=QAAMs=], which are also definitely precision weapons.

** Espada Team flies two mismatched European aircraft, which fits with both the obvious European inspiration of their home country of Sapin, even if the real country of Spain doesn't operate their particular aircraft. It also emphasizes that AWWNB is not a mono-national organization and that their forces aren't necessarily particularly well organized.

* Why did Brett Thompson decide to interview enemy aces about Cipher (who other than Pixy would have known him for about a few minutes during a single battle at most), instead of the ground crew and company executives at Axe and Hammer, who would likely know him better? Well, Operation Valkyrie happened, where the Valais Air Base you've been spending most of the game stationed at is [[AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs bombed to hell]] by the Hresvelgr. Most of the ground crew were [[InferredHolocaust probably killed in that attack]], and the survivors (like Eagle Eye and PJ's girlfriend) understandably [[TooSoon might not want to be interviewed]] or are under a legal agreement like an NDA not to discuss other employees.

* Why did Brett Thompson decide to interview enemy aces about Cipher (who other than Pixy would have known him for about a few minutes during a single battle at most), instead of the ground crew and company executives at Axe and Hammer, who would likely know him better? Well, Operation Valkyrie happened, where the Valais Air Base you've been spending most of the game stationed at is [[AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs bombed to hell]] by the Hresvelgr. Most of the ground crew were [[InferredHolocaust probably killed in that attack]], and the survivors (like Eagle Eye and PJ's girlfriend) understandably [[TooSoon might not want to be interviewed.]]

* Why did Brett Thompson decide interview enemy aces about Cipher (who other than Pixy would have known him for about a few minutes during a single battle at most), instead of the ground crew and company executives at Axe and Hammer, who would likely know him better? Well, Operation Valkyrie happened, where the Valais Air Base you've been spending most of the game stationed at is [[AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs bombed to hell]] by the Hresvelgr. Most of the ground crew were [[InferredHolocaust probably killed in that attack]], and the survivors (like Eagle Eye and PJ's girlfriend) understandably [[TooSoon might not want to be interviewed.]]

** Schwarze Team flies [=MiG=]-31 Foxhounds because they need the extreme speed and XLAA capability the plane offers to run down deserters who may themselves be flying supersonic fighter jets, as the MiG-31 is designed as an interceptor against fast-moving aircraft.

** Schwarze Team flies [=MiG=]-31 Foxhounds because they need the extreme speed and XLAA capability the plane offers to run down deserters who may themselves be flying supersonic fighter jets.

* Gelb Team, aside from being a reference to the infamous Yellow Squadron from ''VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies'', is a two-man team that is extremely skilled and flies perfectly in tandem, and in real life, there were exactly enough Su-37s built for their squadron. Also, the logical difficulty of keeping a rare, prototype airplane like that in good repair fits well with their constant maintenance issues.

* Schwarze Team flies [=MiG=]-31 Foxhounds because they need the extreme speed and XLAA capability the plane offers to run down deserters who may themselves be flying supersonic fighter jets.

* The F-15C Eagle, Cipher's signature plane, can carry ''just'' enough munitions in real life to take down the forces at the Round Table, destroy the launch control devices at Avalon Dam, and take down Pixy's Morgan without re-arming, meaning that the final sprint of missions is theoretically possible even without ''Ace Combat''[='s'=] use of a HyperspaceArsenal.