| Sazabi | |
|---|---|
Char Aznable's distinctively-colored personal mobile suit throughout the theatrical film Char's Counterattack. |
|
| Appears in | Char's Counterattack |
| Designed by | Yutaka Izubuchi |
| Profile | |
| Class | Mobile suit |
| Designation | MSN-04 Sazabi |
| Faction | Neo Zeon |
| Main pilot(s) | Char Aznable |
| General characteristics | |
| Armaments | Mega particle cannon Beam shotrifle Beam saber Shield Funnels |
| Equipment | Psycommu system |
The MSN-04 Sazabi is a fictional mobile suit designed by Yutaka Izubuchi for the anime movie Char's Counterattack; it has also appeared in titles including, but not limited to, the Super Robot Wars[1] series of strategy games, the Gundam: Battle Assault[2] series of fighting games, the PlayStation 2 titles Climax U.C.,[3] MS Saga[4] and A.C.E..[5] It is utilized by movie and timeline antagonist Char Aznable.
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Following the establishment of the second Neo Zeon movement, Char Aznable commissioned Anaheim Electronics to produce a custom-designed mobile suit specifically for his personal use. Painted in a darker and brighter red color with respect to his previously used Zaku II, which presented a tonality tending to a dark pink somewhere, Char utilized the Sazabi as a front-line combat unit to personally lead Neo Zeon mobile suit forces against the Earth Federation Space Force and its Londo Bell subsidiary.[6]
Despite its large size by mobile suit standards, the Sazabi maintains a high level of maneuverability due to a proportionally-high number of maneuvering verniers and lightweight armor materials. It is also heavily armed, including a powerful mega particle cannon in its torso, a variable-output beam shot rifle (a pump-action activates a shotgun-like burst, otherwise functions as a normal beam rifle with semiautomatic fire), and a battery of melee weapons. Its large shield includes space to store a beam tomahawk, as well as three missiles. It is also armed with half a dozen of the same funnel remote weapons as the Jagd Doga.[6] However, the Sazabi's most notable tool is its Psychoframe, a device created by the Neo Zeon movement to both amplify and better harness a Newtype pilot's combat capability. In addition to functioning as a standard psycommu system for control of the funnels, it also boosts a Newtype pilot's ability to control the mobile suit it is mounted in: this translates to a greatly improved reaction time in combat situations, cutting down or eliminating entirely the delay associated with manual controls. Furthermore, the Psychoframe is also capable of more "unforeseen capabilities" that even its pilots do not fully comprehend.[7] Gundam Unicorn confirms that Sazabi's psychoframe contains Char's memories, allowing Neo Zeon to use the data and implant Char's memories into Full Frontal's mind. Unusually enough for a mobile suit, the cockpit is located inside the head of the unit as opposed to within the torso.
After protagonist Amuro Ray is equipped with his own custom-designed Nu Gundam, provided with a psychoframe of its own (at Char's behest, no less), Amuro and Char engage in combat above the asteroid Axis, where Char is eventually defeated in hand-to-hand combat (each combatant having disarmed the other of their mobile suits' weaponry). Fortuitously for Char, the Sazabi was also designed with an escape pod which is automatically fired if the mobile suit sustains critical damage [7][8], although this does not save him as Amuro manages to catch the escape pod.
As with other mobile suits from the movie, the Sazabi received a 1/144th-scale model kit in 1988,[9] and a Mobile Suit in Action (MSiA) figure in 2002.[10] Additionally, there has been a re-vamped, "extended" MSiA in 2006,[11] and a 1/100th-scale Master Grade model kit in 2000.[12] Prior to release, the Sazabi was given a makeover by veteran mechanical designer Hajime Katoki, resulting in a slightly blockier appearance more suitable for modeling.[13] Due to the substantial size and heft, it is one of the most expensive 1/100th-scale Master Grade kits yet manufactured, trumped only by the enormous Perfect Zeong kit, released in 2004.[14] Expensive, high-quality resin kits have been manufactured by B-Club.[15] The Sazabi has even loaned its likeness to Gundam-themed Zippo lighters.[16] A white-colored Sazabi also appears in Gunpla Builders Beginning G as Kenta Sakazaki's personal steed, which was also released as a limited-edition 1/144 HGUC kit. [17] The Sazabi also debuted as part of Bandai's "Formania" line of extensively detailed machine replicas in September 2010. [18]
