Seburo
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Seburo is a fictional small arms manufacturer commonly found in many of the works of manga artist Masamune Shirow. He frequently attributes the Seburo name to advanced, high-velocity, small-caliber weapons. Recent documents seem to suggest that Seburo is the small arms branch of Poseidon Industrial -- another fictional Shirow company.
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[edit] Notable Seburo weapons
- Bobson- A small-framed, high-velocity handgun chambered in 4.2 mm, 5 mm, or 6 mm calibers. (Appleseed)
- C-25A and C-26A- 6 mm x 25 mm submachineguns. Both are bullpup weapons, have 50-round magazines, and forward ejection (with a top-mounted brass catcher). The C-26A is smaller and could be more correctly said to be a machine pistol than a submachine gun. In Stand Alone Complex, C-26A, while retaining its basic shape, is a larger PDW/assault rifle chambered in 5.45 x 45 mm rifle round. It has a built-in laser sight and can be equipped with a specially designed sound suppressor.(Ghost in the Shell)
Galhound panel showing some of the diverse weaponry produced by Seburo. - C-30, a more militarized version of C-26A fitted with a grenade launcher and a longer, jacketed barrel ending with a large muzzle brake with the same magazine capacity as the C-26A. Appears to be based on the FN F2000 assault rifle. (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex)
- Gover- A 10 mm semiautomatic handgun primarily based on a Browning M1911 frame. It features a ported compensator for recoil reduction and quick recovery time. Despite its centuries-old mechanism and its chambering in pistol ammunition, it is quite capable of neutralizing cyborgs and Landmates. (Appleseed)
- M-5 - Seburo M5 is a medium-sized SA/DA handgun that fires 5.45 x 18 mm 7N7 cartridge used in the Russian PSM and OTs-23 pistols. M5 has an ambidextrous safety, and its magazine holds 20 rounds. Known official sidearm of Motoko, Saito, Boma, Togusa in Solid State Society and possibly Paz. A garage kit version is also available. (Stand Alone Complex)
- MN-23- A 5.56 mm bullpup assault rifle. Shirow designed this as an airsoft gun, a fusion of the FN P90 and FAMAS assault rifle, but would later incorporate the gun as a fictional weapon in his manga. A number of cast resin parts were attached to the mechanism of the Tokyo Marui's FAMAS airsoft rifle -- the first Tokyo Marui AEG in Japan. The original producer, Moon-Net, cast a thousand copies before ceasing production. Poseidon, another garage kit circle named after Shirow's other signature fictional company, produced at least two versions, with the latest being reportedly of higher quality than the Moon-Net version. Any optical sight can be placed on its picatinny rails and a silencer can be attached to the muzzle. (Dominon: Conflict 1)
- C-X - Compact eXploder is a small bullpup handgun that uses an ammo feed similar to the P90. Cartridges are loaded sideways in a magazine behind the users thumb. They are spun 90 degrees as the exit the top. The bullpup design allows the weapon to take advantage of a longer barrel. A limited edition garage kit version exists both in a black numbered resin from Poseidon and various conterfeiters usually in white resin, based on the frame of a Walther PPK/S replica airsoft pistol. (Appleseed)
[edit] Use Outside of Shirow Universe
Seburo products -- especially the C-X and MN-23 -- have been adopted by the cyberpunk community. A C-X modeled by Francis Chung has become an icon of the Second Life community and economy. Seburo weapons are often cloned for use in gaming mods and deathmatches.
One of the most prominent examples of the latter is in the popular computer game Deus Ex , in which at least two of the weapons (the Stealth pistol and the Assault rifle) are clearly influenced by Seburo designs.
Seburo products also appear in the MMORPG Anarchy Online. Seburo Bobsons, as well as fictional models C-99a, C-19a, and M35 appear. However, they only borrow the name and the actual design of the gun is different.
[edit] Gallery
 Seburo Arms MN-23. |
 Seburo Arms M-5. |
 Seburo Arms C-X. |
[edit] External links
- Dai-Nihon Giken Poseidon, the circle that produces and sells such garage kits in Japan. A small amount of its products are now available overseas.
- Shooting to Kill, Part Two, an article about the impact of Francis's Chung's C-X model upon the Second Life world
[edit] References
- Masamune Shirow; Appleseed Databook (1993, Seishinsha, ISBN 4-915333-69-8)
- Masamune Shirow; Appleseed Databook (1995, Dark Horse Comics/Studio Proteus, ISBN 1-56971-103-8)
- Masamune Shirow; Appleseed Hypernotes (1996, Seishinsha, ISBN 4-87892-085-8), where the author presents detailed information on the real world creation of the MN-23 design.
- Masamune Shirow; Ghost In The Shell (1991, Kodansha, ISBN 4-06-313248-X)
- Ghost in the Shell 2nd GIG Visual Book (2006, Hobby Japan, ISBN 4-89425-414-X)
- Masamune Shirow; Intron Depot 3: Ballistics (2003, Dark Horse Comics/Studio Proteus, ISBN 1-59307-007-1)
- Masamune Shirow; Intron Depot 4: Bullets (2004, Dark Horse Comics/Studio Proteus, ISBN 1-59307-282-1)
