Nanoha - Q&A

[Nanya01]

Originally Posted by TheRainbowConnection

So...why is A's titled as such? Don't tell me it is a pun on "ace"?

...I'm guessing this is a silly question like "why is the last 's' in StrikerS capitalized?" (BECAUSE CAPS ARE COOL AND EDGY.)

Sound it out.

A's = Ace

[Koveras Alvane]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

Sound it out.

A's = Ace

Alternatively because Nanoha is AAA-rank in the second season (as in, three A's). In StrikerS, she is S+ rank, accordingly.

Which begs the question of whether Force will see her stripped down to F, that is, no magic at all.

[Yasanagi]

How many cartridges can one of Nanoha's magazines carry?

[al103]

IIRC never specified. More than five, that's for certain.

[itanshi1]

Actually, i believe if you watch the battle with vivio she uses one whole cartridge and reloads, might be able to count them

[Tiresias]

What was Chrono's rank during TOS and A's?

[Nanya01]

Originally Posted by Tiresias

What was Chrono's rank during TOS and A's?

Enforcer.

If you meant Mage rank, AAA+

Compare to Nanoha and Fate, both were AAA.

Yuuno was A rank, FYI.

[Tiresias]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

Enforcer.

If you meant Mage rank, AAA+

Compare to Nanoha and Fate, both were AAA.

Yuuno was A rank, FYI.

I mean military rank(Commander, Captain, Admiral). IIRC Enforcer was a TSAB branch. Or perhaps they use special ones like Enforcer-Commander etc?

[DezoPenguin]

So far, the standing Enforcers (Chrono, Fate, Tea) have never been referred to by military rank while they were acting as Enforcers.

[Koveras Alvane]

Originally Posted by Yasanagi

How many cartridges can one of Nanoha's magazines carry?

Six AFAIK. Ditto Fate's revolver-like cartridge module.

Originally Posted by al103

IIRC never specified. More than five, that's for certain.

That much is certain: in the Quattro scene, RH ejects five spent catridges.

Originally Posted by Tiresias

I mean military rank(Commander, Captain, Admiral). IIRC Enforcer was a TSAB branch. Or perhaps they use special ones like Enforcer-Commander etc?

Enforcers are not part of the TSAB armed forces, hence, they don't have military ranks. They are more like FBI special agents, I think. In military terms, they roughly equal Captains, since that's the rank Fate received when she transferred to RF6.

[WarpObscura]

Does the Bureau have any BVR options, drones (recon, combat or otherwise), indirect-fire artillery? Do we know anything about their vacuum naval doctrine and equipment? Point-def systems, anti-ship systems, the works?

[Tiresias]

Originally Posted by WarpObscura

Does the Bureau have any BVR options, drones (recon, combat or otherwise), indirect-fire artillery? Do we know anything about their vacuum naval doctrine and equipment? Point-def systems, anti-ship systems, the works?

Theoretically a Starlight Breaker Plus, which has an additional targeting mode, can hit enemies Beyond Visual Range, but it's not clear if it was ever used that way since any melee unit without superior speed, bind or teleport ability would cry foul, story wise *cough* Vita *cough* Not that it matters much, since we have little evidence of Nanoha using hit-and-run tactics past TOS

Drones are probably illegal, considering their stance on the Gadget Drones. Mages seems to rely on Area Search spell for recon.

Aside from Hayate, there's been no other example of indirect-fire artillery.

The only ship known to possess Point-Defenses was the Saint's Cradle.

The Wolfram seems to possess a magical (because the Hucks neutralized it completely) anti-ship cannon, the Augusto. It was claimed to be long-ranged, but considering the actual range it was used in Force I doubt it.

The closest thing to a doctrine that I can conclude is that a ship is usually manned by an Enforcer (hero unit) and several Marine teams (cannon fodders) for infantry operations, mobilized by the ship's teleportation unit and backed by its C4ISTAR (bridge bunnies)

[TheRainbowConnection]

Originally Posted by Koveras Alvane

Enforcers are not part of the TSAB armed forces, hence, they don't have military ranks. They are more like FBI special agents, I think. In military terms, they roughly equal Captains, since that's the rank Fate received when she transferred to RF6.

Enforcers are kinda a mystery, as far as its place in the TSAB goes. Its role is part-investigative, part-SpecOps, part-Marines, requiring its members to both be highly competent mages capable of independent operation as well as good at deskwork. As far as we can tell, there is no rank stratification. However, it is intimately connected with the Navy. They operate on naval ships and (if Chrono is any indication) advance through its ranks.

And I always thought Fate's rank in StrikerS was more of a courtesy rank, especially since she was a unit commander?

[Rising Dragon]

Though it is a wiki, the Nanoha wikia list Tiida's rank as a Captain alongside his Enforcer status. So most seem to agree that the two positions are equal.

[TheRainbowConnection]

Originally Posted by Rising Dragon

Though it is a wiki, the Nanoha wikia list Tiida's rank as a Captain alongside his Enforcer status.

What? Tiida was never an Enforcer, was he? He died a Captain in the Air Force but had hoped to become an Enforcer, right? And ergo it's with that legacy in mind that Tea aimed for the Enforcer corps.

EDIT: So various places on the internet say that he was an Enforcer, though I cannot for the life of me recall this at all. And we only ever saw him in the blue and white of the Air Force (or its flight instructors?). Brb, gonna try to find this episode again.

EDIT #2: "And then, the dream he left behind...the dream that her brother died without being able to accomplish... She said she'd accomplish the dream of becoming an Enforcer." (StrikerS, episode 8) Yeah, no. Definitely not an Enforcer.

[itanshi1]

Well equal or not, if he moves from one ranking position to another ranking position (army to fbi sorta) then the rank might be from the army while enforcer is a catch all (say fbi's use of agent)

so not equal, but of some note

ninja'd... yeah he wasn't an enforcer huh

[Koveras Alvane]

Originally Posted by TheRainbowConnection

Enforcers are kinda a mystery, as far as its place in the TSAB goes. Its role is part-investigative, part-SpecOps, part-Marines, requiring its members to both be highly competent mages capable of independent operation as well as good at deskwork. As far as we can tell, there is no rank stratification. However, it is intimately connected with the Navy. They operate on naval ships and (if Chrono is any indication) advance through its ranks.

I think the closest equivalent would be the Spectres from the Mass Effect verse.

[Rising Dragon]

*shrugs* I merely repeated what was listed on the wiki.

[al103]

Originally Posted by Koveras Alvane

Enforcers are not part of the TSAB armed forces, hence, they don't have military ranks. They are more like FBI special agents, I think. In military terms, they roughly equal Captains, since that's the rank Fate received when she transferred to RF6.

No, they are not equal Captain. IIRC Teana is 2nd Lieutenant, as was Fate in timeskip manga. Both being Enforcers. It just position > rank.

PS. Actually as in manga it's clear that some positions are in fact more important than rank. Such as ones Aces hold - Hayate: "Special Investigation Officer (also Captain)" - who cares that she is captain? All cares that she have rights to investigate your ass. Enforcer Fate T.Harlaown - who cares if she is 2nd Lt or Captain when she also have all rights to investigate your sorry ass... And Instructor Takamachi Nanoha, one that can review your unit readiness in way that can call for said investigation... who cares if she is 2nd Lt or Captain?

[Yasanagi]

I'm really sorry to ask this again but is there anyone that can truly confirm that one of Nanoha's magazines only contains six cartridges? Has anyone seen her load any other cartridges prior to her big payload she unleashed vs Quattro in the Cradle? I'm looking through firearms websites and the average assault rifle magazine size is 30 rounds.