Knightmare Frames
Knightmare Frame is a mecha that features in Code Geass.
Contents |
History
The Humanoid Autonomous Armored Knight or Knightmare Frame (Japanese: ナイトメアフレーム, Hepburn: Naitomea Furēmu) were a series of advanced mecha that were developed by the Holy Britannian Empire. The beginnings of the Knightmare Frame came from the creation of 'emergency survival cockpits' for conventional vehicles. Equipped with rocket engines to fly the crew away from the wreck, the contraptions were soon equipped with artificial legs to allow greater mobility. Limited room inside said vehicles restricted the number of legs to two. Though not a weapon in any sense of the word, the 'walking cockpits' provided the base form for their successors. Several years later, the creation of several common Knightmare Frame technologies, such as the Factspheres and Landspinners, lead to the funding for Knightmare Frame prototypes. However, the new technologies performed erratically, and the research was outsourced to military-based robotics projects and social-oriented programs. The former was assigned to a Britannian Army Special Division, the 'Special Dispatch Guidance System Division', while the latter went in the hands of a private group, the Ashford Foundation. The foundation implemented technologies related to training and education, enabling the entire Knightmare Frame program to make progress fluidly. The bipedal weapon was nicknamed 'Knightmare' by the Army but its non-offensive equipment was referred to as 'Frame' by civilians. The union of those two terms gave birth to the name 'Knightmare Frame'. With the results gained from the two separate programs, Knightmare Frames were developed into combat-effective platforms. Use of Sakuradite became paramount in making the Knightmare Frames perform to expectations, resulting in the mineral's value increasing greatly, turning it into a resource as important as fossil fuels in international politics. The Third Age also marked the creation of the Ganymede prototype, manufactured and designed by the Ashford Foundation. Its test pilot, Marianne, quickly became famous and was granted knighthood, before eventually getting married to the Britannian Emperor, Charles zi Britannia. However, the company suffered great loss when Marianne was assassinated. The Ashford Foundation eventually retired from its business and its employees were disbanded. The truth on the Empress' death was never truly elucidated but rumors suggest that her downfall was caused by a political feud meant to keep the rising Ashford Foundation in check.
They were publicly unveiled during the invasion of Japan and were instrumental in the defeat of the Japanese. Once defeated, Japan became part of the Britannian empire and their country became designated a control zone known as Area 11.
Despite the initial Britannian lead in knightmare technology, Japanese resistance groups and the Black Knights manage to attract the patronage of the Kyōto House and in turn Rakshata Chawla, allowing them to develop knightmares of their own original designs.
Overview
In apperance, Knightmare Frames were all robots but often have a humanoid shape and were usually between four and six meters (about 13 to 20 feet) tall. In addition to the standard range of bipedal movement, Knightmare Frames were equipped with Landspinners, self-propelled roller skates attached to the ankles of the machines, which allowed them to achieve high mobility and speeds on most terrain. Visual data was gathered through Factsphere sensors, which had thermographic capability and an array of other data-collection functions which were collated in real-time. Factspheres were commonly protected under a layer of armor which could be retracted to improve system sensitivity. Knightmare Frames were piloted from a cockpit set in the protruding 'hump back' of the unit. The cockpit was a self-contained control center which could be ejected in case of emergency.
Such machines were said to be amazing with them being the equivalent of an army.
The energy source of a Knightmare was its Yggdrasil Drive (ユグドラシルドライブ, Yugudorashiru Doraibu) whose core was a Sakuradite device called the Core Luminous (コアルミナス, Koa Ruminasu). This took the form of a cube of unknown composition which was weightlessly suspended.
They were equipped with power sources known as energy fillers that was slowly depleted from use of the Frames and thus required replacement.
Certain models were equipped with an automatic ejection system that launched the cockpit out of the unit prior to destruction in order to save the pilot.
Some came to be equipped with a Float System (フロートシステム, Furōto Shisutemu) that were a flotation device which allowed for limited flight.
Knightmare Frames are typically armed with wired rocket anchors called Slash Harkens (スラッシュハーケン, Surasshuhāken) and a number of other weapons. Mass-production models usually carry handheld rifles and a number of Chaos Grenades, cylindrical air burst grenades that spray deadly shrapnel over a specific area. Less common equipment, though more widespread as the series progresses, are Maser Vibration Swords (MVS), a form of vibroblade which oscillates at a high ratio to cut through almost anything, and Hadron Cannons, powerful energy cannons which can obliterate almost anything in their path. Late in the first season, various models of Float Systems (フロートシステム, Furōto Shisutemu), devices which allow Knighmares to fly, also fall into common use.
Known models of Knightmare Frames included:
- Ganymede :
- Glasgow : fourth-generation Knightmare Frame and the first mass-production model produced by Britannia. It is also the first Knightmare introduced in the series. The Glasgow actively contributed to the invasion of Japan, providing an overwhelming tactical advantage over conventional combat vehicles. Amongst other flaws, the cockpit is considered quite cramped and uncomfortable. The Glasgow's armament includes shoulder-mounted Slash Harkens, Stun Guns, Tonfas, and a handheld assault rifle. Its hull still serves as a template for its successors, but the model itself is phased out in favor of the RPI-13 Sutherland.
- Burai :
- Panzer Hummel :
- Gekka :
- RPI-209 Gloucester (グロースター Gurōsutā) :
- Liverpool :
- Sutherland (サザーランド, Sazārando) :
- Gareth : seventh-generation mass-production model of the prototype Gawain. It has gold trim at various points and a similar style of integrated float system used on the Gawain, but its overall design is quite different from the prototype. Unlike the Gawain, it is more agile and maneuverable. Its Hadron Cannons are attached directly to its wrists and as such, it lacks hands altogether.[8] It also does not use the Druid System equipped on the Gawain, and its cockpit is a standard single-seat version. It has eight Slash Harkens mounted in two quad-barrel launchers attached to the hips. It also has fourteen missile launchers, four on each leg and six on its chest. Finally, it has two triple-barreled machine guns mounted on its shoulders.
- Akatsuki Mass Production Model (暁, Akatsuki) :
- WOX-Type-01 Alexander (アレグサンダー, Aregusandā) :
A derivative of these machines were the Knight Giga Fortress that were larger and less humanoid with them frequently using Float Systems.
Models
- Lancelot :
- Galahad :
- Gawain :
- Mordred :
Notes
- The Knightmare Frames were created by Gorō Taniguchi and Ichirō Ōkouchi where they featured in the setting of the Code Geass universe.
In other media
Video games
Appearances
- Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion:
- Code Geass: Akito the Exiled:
External Links
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