Zaku

Zaku are a type of mecha that feature in Mobile Suit Gundam.

History

The Zaku (Japanese: ザク, Hepburn: Zaku) were a class of Mobile Suit that were created by the Principality of Zeon in the Universal Century era.

Though the MS-06A was quickly approved for mass production, Kycilia Zabi considered its complete lack of close-combat weapon to be a weakness in the event that the Earth Federation Forces develop its own mobile weapons. She halted its mass production and ordered it to be redesigned, resulting in the MS-06C, which was equipped with shoulder spikes, a shoulder shield, and a heat hawk, features that would become standard for future models in the MS-06 series. The mass production of the MS-06C began in January, U.C. 0078, marking Zeon's shift to full wartime readiness.

The MS-05B was rolled out in May, U.C. 0074, three months after the MS-05A. They participated in the earliest stages of the One Year War in U.C. 0079, including the One Week Battle, during which they were used to launch gas grenades into colonies to kill their inhabitants. A total of 793 MS-05B were produced before production was halted in favor of the higher performing MS-06 Zaku II. As production of the 06 ramped up, the 05 series was relegated to the second line, such as escorting transportation and supply fleets or garrison duty. Following the introduction of the Zaku II, which was commonly referred to simply as "Zaku", the Zaku I became colloquially known as "Old Zaku". On May 8th, U.C. 0079, a Zaku I guarding Zeon's 67th supply depot in the Arizona desert was attacked and destroyed by a MS-06J Zaku II Ground Type piloted by Federico Czariano of the Earth Federation Forces commando team Semovente Corps (which had been conducting false flag operations in the area), possibly making it the first mobile suit to be destroyed by another mobile suit in combat.

Overview

In appearance, the Zaku was a large humanoid mecha suit of armor.

The primary weapon of the MS-06C was a 240mm bazooka loaded with nuclear warheads, and it was equipped with heavy radiation shielding to protect it from its own weapon. However, following the signing of the Antarctic Treaty on January 31, U.C. 0079, the use of nuclear weapons was banned. Subsequently, the MS-06C was redesigned, with the radiation shielding removed and a more powerful generator installed. This resulted in the lighter MS-06F, which would become Zeon's mainstay mobile suit for the remainder of the One Year War.

Types of Zaku included:

• MS-05 Zaku I :
• MS-06C Zaku II :
• MS-06R-1A Zaku II High Mobility Type :
• MS-06F2 Zaku II Type F2 : near the end of the One Year War, the Zeonic Company introduced an upgraded version of the MS-06F Zaku II, called MS-06F2 or Type F2. This upgraded model featured improved armor around the cockpit and a new Minovsky fusion reactor approximately 4% more powerful than the regular F-type's. It was also lighter than the previous model, making it more fuel efficient and giving it a longer flight time and overall improved performance. After the One Year War, F2s were still in use. Some were retained by Zeon remnants and units captured by the Federation, which were usually used as aggressor units in squadrons conducting pilot training and mobile suit field testing.
• MS-06FZ Zaku II Last Mass Production Type : Developed very late during the One Year War as part of the "United Maintenance Plan," the MS-06FZ Zaku II Kai (Kai (改, Modified)) was an improved and redesigned version of the Zaku II. The United Maintenance Plan was an effort by the Zeon military to simplify the production of their different types of mobile suits by standardizing parts and systems where possible. Due to the MS-06FZ Zaku II Kai's late introduction into the One Year War, only a handful of the units were produced. Few, if any, of the mobile suits survived the war.
• MS-06S Zaku II Commander Type : the Zaku II Custom looked very similar to the normal Zaku: so much so that the Earth Federation can generally only tell the difference from color schemes most pilots apply to their units and the increased performance of this version. The S-Type Zaku II features a squad-leader "horn" that is mounted on the head of the Zaku II, which is used to distinguish squad leaders or higher-ranking pilots from other squad members or lower-ranking pilots. It also featured a more powerful fusion reactor. In turn, the S-Type Zaku II had greater thrust and acceleration. This allowed them to move at speeds 1/3 faster than an average Zaku II.
• MS-06Z Psycommu Test Type Zaku II : the final Zaku variant developed under the MS-16X "Bishop" plan. Three test units were created, but the plan was halted due to a fatal flaw. The suit's incredibly high energy consumption meant that they could only fight for a maximum of 10 minutes. The wire-guided forearms with beam cannons mounted in each of the fingers were almost identical to the ones that would later be implemented in the MSN-02 Zeong. Additionally, the suit's unique weaponry, psycommu system, and additional apogee thrusters brought the price of the suit up to the equivalent of several Zaku IIs.
• MS-11 Act Zaku :

The Zaku were among the first units created for battle. At the start of the One-Year War, the Zaku II was the mainstay of Zeon's military but quickly became inferior to newer and more powerful mobile suits as the war progressed. By the later stages of the war, the Zaku II is antiquated. Because the Zaku II is the basic military unit of the Zeon forces and it is a mass-production mobile suit, many units are left by the war's end. These suits survive only to be destroyed en-masse to show the power of the newer models.

Pilots

• Gabby Hazard :
• Elliot Rem :
• Hilde Nietzsche :
• Cima Garahau :
• Nils Theorell :
• Mallet Sanguine :

Notes

• The Zaku were created by Kunio Okawara where they featured in the setting of the Mobile Suit Gundam universe.
• The original concept of the Zaku was simply a disposable underling, with its name derived from the sound of a huge man (or many soldiers) marching and the Japanese term zako (雑魚, lit. 'inferior fish') (referring to mediocre-quality fish meat considered unsuitable for fine dining, also signifying expendable grunts).

Appearances

• Mobile Suit Gundam:

External Links

• Gundam Wiki Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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