Shadow Mirror
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Shadow Mirror refers to the dimension-travelling army of mecha and their crew that has made appearances in Super Robot Wars. The first appearance of the Shadow Mirror was in Super Robot Wars Advance for the GameBoy Advance. Their latest appearance was in Super Robot Wars Original Generation 2.
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[edit] Background
The Shadow Mirror are part of their Earth Federation forces. The kanji for their official name translates into "Special Task Maneuver Squad." They are an elite group similar to the Titans in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. They exist in a parallel dimension, wherein several events happened differently in their continuum compared to the one they are invading.
In Advance, for example, Vindel Mauser refers to Amuro Ray as Master Seargent, when in the game he is a Lieutenant. The Vanishing Trooper Incident, wherein SRX pilot Rai lost his arm, also happened in the Shadow Mirror "home world," scaring the Personal Trooper developers there from designing anything resembling a Huckebein.
This is noticeable in the machines that the Shadow Mirror use in Original Generation 2 - they use Gespenst units and mecha that resemble those from Super Robot Wars 64.
In both games that they have appeared in, the goal of the Shadow Mirror is to plunge the universe in eternal war. Their leader, Vindel Mauser, believes that war brings about change and the best in men as well, so there is no reason really to desire for peace. He defines peace as the stagnation in between one war and the next, causing man to become corrupt and weak, and is thus undesirable.
[edit] Characteristics
The Shadow Mirror modus operandi is chilling in its simplicity - scout out any war-ready organizations in the dimension they wish to invade next, infiltrate the organization with sleeper agents, strike an alliance with said group, and steal their technology. If stealing their technology proves impractical or impossible, the Shadow Mirror will attempt to use them as pawns to achieve their own goals. Ultimately, when they have gotten all they could from their victims, they turn against their former "allies."
The Shadow Mirror are masters at copying technology, often building exact replicas of the units from blueprints, and at other times are able to craft original creations based on combat data gathered from their opponents. In the final level of Advance, Londo Bell is met with an army composed of mecha from the various enemy factions that the Shadow Mirror have allied with and / or stolen designs from - nearly all enemy series in the game are represented in the last stage. In OG2, combat data on the Alt Eisen, Weiss Ritter, Wild Wurger, and Wild Falken were used to create the Rapiecage, an Assault Dragoon with weapon systems and capabilities common to the previous four.
[edit] Technology and Units
The Shadow Mirror version of a piece of war machinery that exists in another dimension is usually superior. For example:
In Advance, the Federation's grunt of choice was the Metal Armor Dragoon, which is outclassed by the more expensive Gespenst Mk-II. In this timeline/dimension the Dragoon was chosen due to its lower production cost and so was produced in numbers, yet the Shadow Mirror have the same number of Gespensts.
In OG2, the mass-production Gespenst Mk.II-M of Earth is a slow ground-pounder that needs to close in to bring its weapons to bear. The Shadow Mirror mass-produced Gespenst Mk.II-M is equipped with a Tesla Drive (a powerful, costly propulsion system that grants speed and flight), and has more first-strike capability and range.
It would seem that the Shadow Mirror has access to more efficient production, allowing them to mass-produce expensive, high-performance units.
In OG2, the Shadow Mirror has been seen to field the following units:
Gespenst Mk.II M - a flying, more agile version of the Federation model, geared for ranged combat. Its weapon loadout is that of the Gespenst Mk.II-R, giving it an edge over its namesake. It is painted blue, and is usually used by grunts.
Laz Angriff - a bombardment Valkyrie. It is used by skilled pilots and officers, and is easily recognized with its red color.
Randgrith - a fire support Valkyrie, it may be likened to a toned-down Laz Angriff. It has some weapons and features in common with the Laz Angriff, and is painted green.
R Eins M - the result of the R-1 mass production project in the Shadow Mirror homeworld. This is a flying unit designed for long-range bombardment. The name R Eins is German for 'R-1', with the M designating it as a mass produced unit.
Ash Saver - an Assault Dragoon variant. It is highly agile on land or in space, and sports a variety of energy weapons. There are also watered-down mass-produced versions of this high-performance unit.
Rapiecage - A fearsome Assault Dragoon, whether in close combat or in ranged combat. It is an amalgam of weapons and systems from the Alt Eisen, Weiss Ritter, Wild Falken, and Wild Wurger.
Soulgain - Axel Almer's personal unit. It is one of the few Shadow Mirror units that is specifically designed for close combat. With Axel piloting it, its speed rivals that of many agile personal troopers, moving at speeds unexpected for a unit its size.
Vysaga - A Super Robot designed in the image of a ninja. It is fast and powerful, but not as well armored as the Soulgain. It uses claws, shurikens, and a sword to attack.
Angelg - W17's personal unit. While its best attack is from long range, it is no slouch in the close combat department.
Zweizergain - Vindel Mauser's personal unit. It is believed to be a highly modified Soulgain. It is also designed for close range fights, but it has considerable ranged attacks as well.
[edit] Organization
Officers
Vindel Mauser is the de facto leader of the Shadow Mirror. He is an accomplished pilot, tactician, strategist, and diplomat. He is dedicated to his goal of eternal war, willing to sacrifice even his teammates to compete an objective.
Lemon Browning is the inventor genius behind the Shadow Mirror. She is responsible for creating the W-series bioroids, faceless, mindless android soldiers with skills superior to normal human pilots, as well as the W-numbers, androids made to resemble humans and also an experiment in free will. There were 17 W-numbers created, although only W17 aka Lamia Loveless survives to this day.
Axel Almer - a hot-blooded man who lives for combat and dreams only of defeating Beowulf, the Kyosuke Nanbu of their homeworld, or any other version of him in another dimension. He hides it all under a facade of cool indifference, losing it only when the topic is Beowulf.
Lamia Loveless - In Advance, when playing as Axel, she is Lemon's ultimate weapon and is his 'rival.' She follows Lemon's orders blindly, even if it means her death. She is curious as to why Axel changed sides, to which Axel replies that a doll like her would not understand even if he explained.
Echidna Issaki - the name given to W16. She carries out orders to the letter, and she does so extremely well. She is intelligent, as seen in her efforts to make a convincing battle when she was ordered to deliver a package to W17 in the middle of combat. She evetually gains free will as well.
Wodan Ymir - the name given to W15. He is skilled in the use of the zankantou, on the same level as Sanger Zonvolt, and wears a mask that hides his face. He takes his role as "the Sword of Magus" to heart, and he lives for little else.
Rank and File
The Shadow Mirror army is comprised of two kinds of soldiers. There are the human 'grunt' pilots on one hand, who are very skilled compared to other grunts (say, Neue Divine Crusaders pilots) but still on the human level. They pale in comparison though, when facing protagonists and their highly specialized and customized machines.
On the other hand are the W-series bioroids. They boast piloting skills that surpass normal human level, and can give ace pilots fits. Upon defeat, they will activate their unit's Code ATA sequence and destroy it, to make sure that the enemy does not capture Shadow Mirror technology - and that includes themselves.
