Project #13.5: IS and Gundams

Hello and welcome to another side blog of Project Nitsuj, I am Isis. The master has asked me to dive a little deeper into the IS’s from the Infinite Stratos series. As you know the IS’s are exoskeleton machines that are piloted by females and one male. However, I bet you didn’t know that the IS’s are largely based off the Gundams from the Gundam series. Everything from their designs to their weapons were largely inspired by the Gundam series. So in this side blog I’ll be breaking down all of the personal IS’s and relating them to Gundams.

Byakushiki

Let’s start off by looking at the Byakushiki; the Byakushiki holds a close resemblance to the Destiny Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny series, piloted by Shinn Asuka. Even the Yukihira sword, the only weapon the Byakushiki has holds a close resemblance to the Destiny Gundam sword however it has the same functions as the 00 Raiser’s GN sword III from Mobile Suit Gundam 00. The claws of the Byakushiki are said to pay homage to the Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. Eight Elements that was seen in Code Geass. It’s the mech that Kallen pilots after she is rescued during the second battle of Kyoto in the second season of Code Geass. In the end Byakushiki, is an IS that favors close quarter combat and favors using a sword as opposed to guns

Blue Tears

Blue Tears is the personal IS of Cecila that specializes in long range combat. It has a sniper rifle, optical drones that the pilot can control with her mind, and later on she gets a blade that can be used for close quarter combat. It is said that Blue Tears pays homage to three gundams; the first is Strike Freedom a gundam from Gundam SEED Destiny piloted by Kira Yamato. The drones that Blue Tears has operate and look quite similar to Strike Freedom’s wireless remote-controlled Dragoon beam cannon pods. They both also have hip-mounted weapons that come in pairs. The second and third gundam Blue Tears pays homage to is Gundam Dynames and Cherudim Gundam which both come from Mobile Suit Gundam 00. Gundam Dynames and Cherudim Gundam are both piloted by Lockon Stratos. Both of the gundams use sniper rifles as their main weapons just like Blue Tears and in fact the green jewel that we see on Cecila’s headband might be another homage to Dynames sniper mode camera.

Shenlong

This is Lin’s personal IS which specializes in close quarter combat. It uses a double-sided blade as well as has dual impact cannons on the shoulders of the IS. Not all that much to say about this one. Its shoulder designs are similar to the shoulder designs of Gadessa, Garazzo, and Gaddess from Mobile Suit Gundam 00. All of the shoulders have a sphere like shape to them with holes slightly off to the side except for Shenlong who has holes in the middle. The double-bladed sword Shenlong uses has the same function as Sword Impulse gundam from Gundam SEED Destiny, both can be separated and combined as a main weapon. It almost reminds me of Darth Maul’s dual lightsaber from the Phantom Menace. On a final note the name Shenlong is also the same name as Chang Wufei’s gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam Wing.

Raphael-Revive Custom II

This is Charles IS and my favorite out of the personal IS. Yes, I bet you thought Blue Tears was my favorite didn’t you? I admit Blue Tears does hold a certain appeal in being able to snipe my opponents in the head from far away but sometimes that doesn’t do it for me, in truth I have an uncanny desire to get up close to my opponents and cause them pain and destruction while they scream in agony. Charles’ IS holds a wide range of conventional weaponry from machine guns, assault rifles, shotguns, a battering ram, and a hidden blade all of which can be used for close and mid-range combat. Once again not much to say about this one, Raphael holds a striking resemblance to Arios Gundam from season 2 of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 and Gundam Harute from the Mobile Suit Gundam movie: A wakening of the Trailblazer. The name could also be referencing the archangel Raphael from Judeo-Christianity who performs all manners of healing.

Schwarzer Regen

This IS belongs to Laura is my master’s favorite IS. There’s a lot to say about this one. First off, the beams sabers that she generates from her hands pays homage to the Aegis Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and Unicorn Gundam from the OVA Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn. The beam daggers pay homage to Reborns Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam 00 and Strike Noir Gundam from the OVA Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73: STARGAZER since both of these gundams use beam daggers as weapons. Finally, the railgun Laura uses pays homage to Gundam Throne Eins from season 1 of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 who also uses a large cannon that almost resembles Laura’s railgun.

Akatsubaki

The final IS I will discuss is Houki’s IS said to be the most powerful IS in the world as of now. This IS is a fourth generation IS while every else’s is a third generation IS. Except for Charles who pilots a 2.5 generation IS. The foot blades come from a combination of Gundam Avalanche Exia from the side story Mobile Suit Gundam 00V: Battlefield Record and Justice Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. The IS resembles a multitude of gundams such as Aegis, Justice, Saviour, Infinite Justice, and Astray Red Frame Kai Gundam from the multiple SEED series.

Well that’s how the gundams and IS’s are related. Now that you know where they get their designs and weapons from which one’s your favorite? Whichever one is your favorite there’s no denying that the IS’s are a feat of greatness in my eyes and have all the right to be admired and liked by viewers. This has been another side blog, thanks for reading, and I hope to see you next time on Project Nitsuj.

Thanks for reading, as always feel free to leave a comment, feedback, or request in the comment section below or send them to iamprojectnitsuj@gmail.com