Melee in Gundam 00

[Demongod86]

Is it me or is the entire design of the Exia rather stupid, given the functions of the GG particles? If those things jam communications and wipe out radar signals, then why the hell would you want to charge into visual range like a complete moron? If you have full stealth capabilities, why the hell do you have a bright red white and blue gundam charging into visual range rather than abusing the living crap out of its stealth capabilities and obliterating enemies ala Dynames or Virtue? The other MSes don't have GG particles, so they're easily detectable on radar, so why the hell would you need to melee enemy MSes rather than blast them BVR style as Dynames or Kyrios do or wipe everything out before people know what hit them Virtue style?

Is it me, or is the design of the Exia just a blatant attempt at preserving the "original" gundam design, when there is absolutely no reason to keep that design around, since the enemies' MSes DON'T have the radar-jamming capabilities that minovsky particles granted, or even the high-performance to really be able to force a melee showdown, as Virtue and Dynames demonstrate time after time?

[SoldierOfDarkness]

Well MS aren't exactly the most practical war machines anyways.

[ashlay]

meh, it wouldn't be a good clean shonen robot action then. :\

The idea of making giant suits of robotic armor in bright colors for military applications is a bad one to begin with. nothing to do but suspend your disbelief.

[Bocca]

Because Exia looks silly standing there firing its pee-shooter all the time.

And seeing how all of Setsuna's 3-faction nemesis (Graham, Sergei, Ali) all try to melee seems like to me their best way to take down a Gundam.

We haven't seen what the other Gundams are capable in melee combat, but I see the reason Exia held those guys off were because of its immense arsenal of melee weaponry.

[Ascaloth]

My theory is that that's exactly what the Exia is made for; charge into full visual range and distract all enemies on the field with the high visibility of its colour scheme, and keeping them preoccupied with its high-showmanship-value melee capability so that they'll be too busy to scope out Dyname's position from the trajectory of its sniper shots. If you've noticed, Exia and Dynames always take on complex missions as a pair; to a lesser extent, it's the same pairwork with Kyrios and Virtue.

Meh. *shrug*
When it comes to Gundam, one typically switches off the logic circuits in the brain while viewing.

[Bocca]

Originally Posted by Ascaloth

My theory is that that's exactly what the Exia is made for; charge into full visual range and distract all enemies on the field with the high visibility of its colour scheme, and keeping them preoccupied with its high-showmanship-value melee capability so that they'll be too busy to scope out Dyname's position from the trajectory of its sniper shots. If you've noticed, Exia and Dynames always take on complex missions as a pair; to a lesser extent, it's the same pairwork with Kyrios and Virtue.

Well they do often pair up, but they split up and engage in their own fights anyways, and are all attacked by the enemy, except in the first episode where Dynames didn't even seem to be part of the mission....but helped anyways.

[LightningZERO]

Because melee is cool? Or the sight of Gundam charging at you can be a very good psychological tactic?

[cors8]

Yes, we totally need more Kira auto-aim spamming..........

Melee moves just look cooler in general compared to most ranged attacks. One sniper is enough!

[Papaya]

It's funny that Dynames has more armor than Exia. There's a lot of weird stuff going on in this show. Any reason you find for something is probably just coincidence. I really doubt there's any rationale behind Exia's melee pwnage other than "lol melee".

On another note, why is CB the only side that arms their MS with missiles? D:

[SonicX_Zero]

This whole idea of melee+stealth reminds me of deathscythe's stealth capabilities, like how the enemy pilots didn't know what hit them and just got slashed. lol Oh yeah blitz too. =o

[Papaya]

Well, they had visual cloaking.

The only stealth here is radar/communications... which, I guess isn't bad, if Exia runs around in an enemy group causing confusion while Dynames snipes away.

[Duo Maxwell]

Originally Posted by Demongod86

Is it me or is the entire design of the Exia rather stupid, given the functions of the GG particles? If those things jam communications and wipe out radar signals, then why the hell would you want to charge into visual range like a complete moron? If you have full stealth capabilities, why the hell do you have a bright red white and blue gundam charging into visual range rather than abusing the living crap out of its stealth capabilities and obliterating enemies ala Dynames or Virtue? The other MSes don't have GG particles, so they're easily detectable on radar, so why the hell would you need to melee enemy MSes rather than blast them BVR style as Dynames or Kyrios do or wipe everything out before people know what hit them Virtue style?

Is it me, or is the design of the Exia just a blatant attempt at preserving the "original" gundam design, when there is absolutely no reason to keep that design around, since the enemies' MSes DON'T have the radar-jamming capabilities that minovsky particles granted, or even the high-performance to really be able to force a melee showdown, as Virtue and Dynames demonstrate time after time?

Are you talking about the thing that named Infinity Justice?

Why must people care so much about trivial thing like that? =/

[LightningZERO]

Originally Posted by Papaya

On another note, why is CB the only side that arms their MS with missiles? D:

The terrorists' Hellions carried missiles to bomb HRL's elevator back in episode 1

[Papaya]

Originally Posted by LightningZERO

The terrorists' Hellions carried missiles to bomb HRL's elevator back in episode 1

Those weren't anti-MS missiles though. I find it pretty silly that no side is using missiles, especially when you look at how slow all the terrestrial MS move. It's not like missiles can't break their armor either... just look at episode 1, when a ground-based rocket launcher blows off the Anf's arm.

[LoweGear]

Originally Posted by Papaya

Those weren't anti-MS missiles though. I find it pretty silly that no side is using missiles, especially when you look at how slow all the terrestrial MS move. It's not like missiles can't break their armor either... just look at episode 1, when a ground-based rocket launcher blows off the Anf's arm.

While not exactly shown yet, the Union Flag's profile does state that it can use missiles, which means we are likely to see more Union or AEU MS use missiles in the near future.

[SonicX_Zero]

Originally Posted by Papaya

Well, they had visual cloaking.

That would be true to Blitz, but I dont remember Deathscythe ever visually disappearing it just had the color black and was capable of not being detected in radar.

[Papaya]

Originally Posted by SonicX_Zero

That would be true to Blitz, but I dont remember Deathscythe ever visually disappearing it just had the color black and was capable of not being detected in radar.

Don't remember if Deathscythe vanilla ever had visual cloak, but Hell did. Cheesemania.

[Skyfall]

Originally Posted by Duo Maxwell

Are you talking about the thing that named Infinity Justice?

Why must people care so much about trivial thing like that? =/

I wouldn't call it trivial, because achieving suspension of disbelief is something a 'serious' show should strive to achieve. If it fails at that, the whole thing will come across as 'dumb' or "just because the plot requires it that way", like the durability of armor in Gundam Wing, which basically changes the way plot requires of it.

There is no real reason why anyone would want to get in to melee range if you can snipe your opponents from afar and have a much better technology than them to do so. The show has not established any in-universe reason for it to change (aside from the fact that, apparently, bullets, lasers and what not seem to move slower than an arm of a 50 feet metallic monster, making them easy to dodge ... yea ...).

Though this is a flaw of most Mecha shows (aside from presenting mecha as actually workable war machines)- for some reason melee always is superior for taking down enemies (Minus grunts - those die to ranged fire just fine), for the sole reason of it looking more cool than firing from afar.

Alternatively we can conclude that Setsuna is too emo to be capable of standing still sniping at enemies anyway, so they didn't bother to outfit Exia with decent ranged capabilities. Why bother if you know the pilot will rush in like a headless chicken anyway

[FRS]

Because this is a mecha/super robot show where the suit is just the extension of its wearer and thus it is appropriate and heroic to see Gundam charge in melee trying to cut each others (whereas in more SF show they'll just shoot each others to death) ?

[SonicX_Zero]

Originally Posted by Papaya

Don't remember if Deathscythe vanilla ever had visual cloak, but Hell did. Cheesemania.

Deathscythe strawberry definitely had it.

On another note I think Setsuna just prefers to go upfront with his enemies instead of just attacking them from behind. x.x;;