Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans

To be honest, maybe I'm forgetting something (I mean, he did stand up against the ultra-agile Talgeese using the unfamiliar, Mighty Glacier Gundam Heavyarms), but I could swear I remember Heero not really being that great a pilot? Please correct me if I'm wrong; Gundam Wing was my first and I hold a lot of nostalgia for it, but I always remember the Wing Gundam being oddly disappointing throughout the show.

Setsuna I think is kinda proven as an ace by the start of season 2, where he's still holding his own against the latest mobile suits with a broken down, obsolete Gundam.

Mika definitely strikes me as being one of the more dangerous pilots, though. Most Gundam pilots seem to rely exclusively on their suit's Bigger Stick factor at the onset, but as it's been said, Mika is very ruthless and pragmatic to go with it. Using retreating foes as shields, masking himself with a dust cloud to close the distance, using his own broken weapon to create an opening in a duel...honestly, I think if he had just a regular mass production suit, the results would have likely been similar in that opening fight.

In evenly matched suits, I think my vote would go to Mika. If their Mobile Suits are sword only, maybe Setsuna might have an edge there.

It should be noted for Mika that Orphans is not over yet so we have no idea how powerful the Barbatos will be or if he might pilot a different Gundam. Also on how his own individual skills as a pilot will improve, especially when taking into account his status at the end of Season 1.

edited 21st Jun '16 8:54:47 PM by slimcoder

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."

I'll admit my metric was based on start-of-series performance. Of the Wing, Exia and Barbatos, the latter strikes me as the technical weakest at the onset (it can't fly, it lacks ranged abilities, and I haven't seen it take a hit yet so I don't know what it's got for armor), yet Mika is able to do some amazing things on the battlefield with it. Which gives me the impression of Mika being able to do more with less. It's a lot harder to compare end-of-series ability.

Same kind of nanolaminate armor as every other MS in the verse. That is, settle for nothing less than an artillery-caliber howitzer applied at a reasonably close range if you plan on actually hurting it.

And if you do manage to get in range, you risk having it close in for melee range - wherein you quickly learn that the AV system's responsiveness is paired with Exia-level agility, thanks to the dual Ahab reactors.

edited 21st Jun '16 11:22:40 PM by amitakartok

Do note that nanolaminate coating, like most special Gundam armours, is only useful against conventional weaponry. It's a type of paint applied to armour plating that can absorb vast amounts of kinetic energy when charged with Ahab particles, but is useless against other forms of energy (like, say, thermal). That's why anti-ship napalm is a key weapon in space combat, to melt away an enemy's paint and soften it up for your guns, and why IBO suits would be even more helpless against beam weaponry than the norm for the franchise (if it existed in their setting).

That means that the only enemy machine in this four-way matchup that Mika would have any sort of defence against is Sousuke's Laevatien, and that probably vanishes as soon as he whips out his Lambda Driver.

What's precedent ever done for us?

I think the initial idea for this match was that each would be using the same machines. I think it's safe to say the nature of IBO's setting would mean even Wing Gundam and 00 would outclass the Barbatos.

There is one further question, though: are we assuming Mika's has an interface for his implants? I think it's safe to say without them, even with his pragmatism, he'd probably be at a disadvantage with a normal control interface.

(I admit I keep wanting to leave Sousuke out of this since he's not from Gundam)

Well Sousuke is also less tragic child soldier and more Heroic Comedic Sociopath.

Heero and the rest of the Wing boys also had one of the worst cases of Plot Armor ever, where Leo's they piloted would suddenly become about 10 times more durable.

Finally managed to rewatch the first ep of the dub last night, and then catch up with the second and third eps.

Now very firmly head-over-heels for the series.

And Kudelia continues to be my favorite character. Love that kid to bits.

Still haven't quite decided what to think about Mikazuki yet.

edited 22nd Jun '16 9:38:43 AM by EvaUnit01

That's basically how you're supposed to feel about him. On the one hand, all he really wants to do is protect his friends and make their (and his) lives better than the grinding crushing poverty they suffered as small children. On the other, he's a creepy little freak who's completely unfazed by killing others, whether on the battlefield or in cold blood.

The mixed feelings are exactly what Mika is intended to evoke.

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.

Yeah, Creepy Good/Creepy Awesome are probably the best "results" I can achieve on trying to figure out my opinion of him.

Honestly, I can totally kinda almost see why Kudelia's got such a fixation on him. (why no, of course the Shipping Goggles aren't surgically grafted to my skull, why would you ever feel a need to ask that?)

Then you're in for squee a couple episodes down the line.

Speaking of which, do you guys know what I'd like to see as second season finale? Kudelia getting disowned and losing all her influence and prestige... only to have Tekkadan invite her into their ranks with open arms as their Team Mom/moral leader.

edited 22nd Jun '16 1:22:47 PM by amitakartok

I think Mika is a pretty cool guy. Eh, protects Kudelia and doesn’t afraid of anything.

On the contrary, Kudelia becomes the Queen of Mars and Tekkadan her royal guard. Talk about success story.

Alternatively, Mika and Kudelia settling down on a farm after stopping the second Calamity War would be okay ending too.

Nah, Tekkadan are free spirits. They'd never settle down for anything other than looking after each other.

They consider Kudelia their own at this point though.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."

Yeah, by the season's finale battle she has her own Tekkadan coat. I didn't notice it at first, but when I did I thought it rather heartwarming.

It's important to remember that child soldiers are a really awful thing. If Tekkadan are still having to fight and die to avoid starvation at the end of the series, rather than having normal lives like normal children, then Kudelia hasn't won. The series stresses this pretty hard.

What's precedent ever done for us?

The happiest possible is pretty much Mika achieving his dream of becoming a farmer which is a pretty cool thought really.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."

Now I have this mental image of several CGS mobile workers being converted into tractors and other farm equipment on Mika's farm.

Fate Grand Order players will know me as Ryusei-Go.

Now I have a mental image of shirtless Orga sitting on top of a mobile worker (as is his wont), giving his trademark Slasher Smile immediately before launching his Crazy Enough to Work plan to plow the shit out of some fields.

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.

Excellent mental image you have there.

I think we have our first crackfic idea for IBO. Anyone care to write it?

Season 2 trailer! This time with more mecha!

PSN ID: FateSeraph | Switch friendcode: SW-0145-8835-0610 Congratulations! She/They

Is it just me or do those suits look kind of like the Rouie?

Fate Grand Order players will know me as Ryusei-Go.

Makes sense, since they're part of Teiwaz. The visors make me think of 00's Tierens.

I am glad that the mobile suits still look low tech and the timeskip isn't being used as an excuse to have a Lensman Arms Race like what happened in 00 and Code Geass.