Nanoha StrikerS - Generic Discussion

[Chaos2Frozen]

Originally Posted by Furyou Miko

If I can just change the subject a little... did I hallucinate Subaru using Divine Buster? Or do we think that, since the words for the spell come from the soul, she was just so impressed with Nanoha that her own magic blast (which she says herself isn't long-ranged or very powerful) just happened to manifest as the same chant?

At first I thought that was true as well, but turns out it's just all a really convincing dream...!

StrikerS hasn't even started yet ...

[Aaron008R]

Originally Posted by Furyou Miko

If I can just change the subject a little... did I hallucinate Subaru using Divine Buster? Or do we think that, since the words for the spell come from the soul, she was just so impressed with Nanoha that her own magic blast (which she says herself isn't long-ranged or very powerful) just happened to manifest as the same chant?

No, you're not hallucinating or hearing things. Subaru was obviously impressed with Nanoha's Divine Buster 4 years ago. And, being a Nanoha fan, made herself her own variation. Despite being less powerful, I think her version is cooler.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by Aaron008R

Despite being less powerful, I think her version is cooler.

I haven't watched any other mecha anime, other than grendizer, patlabor, macross and eva, so I didn't get the mecha anime reference for Subaru. Instead, her Divine Buster made me think of Order Sol's Tyrant Rave (level 1 I think).

[Ultima_Rasengan05]

waoh when did that happen to Nanoha??

Spoiler:

when Nanoha is at the brink of death from a surprise attack and Vita saving her life from it???
did it happen in the manga already or is it just speculation??

man watching StrikerS, its really a different feeling....the whole setting and the new set of characters being introduced.....its really different from the first two seasons!
for some reason though, with this whole "ranking military status" that they're using now in the show, i can't but stop thinking that this show is kinda like FMP, but with magic and very advanced magic technology
and by the way, what city are Nanoha and crew staying at??
it looks like some kind of future space city??
last time i checked, i know Nanoha used to live on Earth with her parents....
and the opening and ending sequences for StrikerS is really cool!
and Subaru using divine buster was something i wasn't expecting 0_0!!
that was a really big surprise for me!

[Meophist]

I thought I'd just post a little summary of what I think of the character's combat abilities right now. This is as of StrikerS episode 1.

Nanoha

Optimal range: Medium to Long

Nanoha is an arial combatist who specializes in ranged attacks. She's mainly defensive. She is particularly mobile but is only average in terms of actual speed. Though she's at her strongest at medium to long ranges, she is capable in all ranges.

One of her greatest strengths is that she doesn't lose much effectiveness during range transitions and is still effective during the in-between ranges. This means that if she can't stay in her most optimal long-range against her opponent, it'll be the most ideal of her to switch between the close and medium ranges often.

Her weakness includes her lack of effective offensive capability in close range, as well as her relative lack of speed. Her high maneuverability lets her avoid attacks even at close range, but without using spells such as Divine Shooter or Accel Shooter, she would have difficulty moving away from the close range. Making the opponent focus on shots can allow her to change her range more easily.

Fate
Optimal range: Close and Medium
Fate is also an arial combatist, but specializes instead in close-ranged attacks. Unlike Nanoha, Fate has presence in speed rather than mobility. Fate is also very offense-oriented. Her attacks and movement are very focused, which gives an advantage in speed and power, but can end up being rather predictable. Also unlike Nanoha, Fate can excel at using the ground to her advantage, should the situation allow itself.

Fate's biggest strength is in her focused speed and power. She's fast and her attacks are capable of dealing great damage in a small area. However, this makes both her attacks and movement linear, making it easier to predict the paths of both. Fate compensates for this with overwhelming speed and by changing directions.

She is, however, weak at range transitions, espeically in the outwards directions. Her long-ranged attacks are also lacking as, although they are still quick, thier focus makes it less than ideal. Her best strategy would be to remain in the close and medium ranges, switching between the two to keep things unpredictable, but spending as little time as possible during the transition. If she is stronger than her opponent at close range, then it'll be best to simply stay in close range if possible, attacking quickly and frequently.

Hayate
Optimal range: Long to Very Long?
Don't really know much about Hayate, only having seen two attacks from her. Judging from that however, it seems although uncertain, that her specialty is in powerful long-range attacks.

Hayate's attacks are even less focused than Nanoha's, and the big spell that she used, Ragnarok Breaker, seems to have multiple start points. Another interesting mention is that her attack seems to start from beside or behind her rather than from in front.

Assuming she has lower-level spells of the same style, one can further assume that she would be a type that aims to attack unconventionally with start points that is different from where she is. This style of fighting is not very good at close ranged combat, but can work on the medium range very well. Judging from her attacks, it would seem that she only gets better the longer the range she is from her opponent. She can probably be catagorized as an artillery striker.

Vita
Optimal range: Close and Medium
Vita is…

Vita specializes in close ranged attacks. Although she doesn't have the mobility or speed of other characters, she makes up for it with more balanced offensive and defensive capabilities.

Vita is powerful in the close range. Unlike Fate, she can both deal and take, but loses out on speed. This makes her optimal in situation where she can force close ranged encounters. She'll be particularly powerful in close corridors. Unfortunally, she becomes significantly less effective in open-area engagements. She is however, still effective in group settings.

Vita needs to watch out for changing range too often. Much of her attacks are very range-specific, and she is left with very few options in between those ranges. On the other hand, she should engage in close combat as much as possible, as it is her greatest strength. Careful use of the Swallow Flier attack can greatly assist her range problems.

Signum
Optimal range: Close to Medium
Signum also specializes in close ranged attacks, and also lacks mobility and speed in favour of more balnaced offensive and defensive capabilities. However, she goes a bit further with this than Vita.

Signum isn't particularly fast nor mobile, but gets by with bursts of speed. This can make her movement seem very unpredictible, which is a big strength for Signum. She has a variety of moves to cover the ranges of Close and Medium, as well as other ranges in between. This makes her a versitile fighter, being able to cover multiple aspects of battle by herself.

Long range is a big problem for Signum, requiring her to change form of her weapon to fight in that range effectively. In addition, one of her major weaknesses is that she doesn't work too well in group settings. The combination of being slow and being mobile doesn't work well in a group.

Chrono
Optimal range: Mid-close to Mid-long
Chrono specializes in medium range attacks as well as binds and traps. Unlike most other characters, Chrono has emphasis on technique as opposed to power or speed, and often takes advantage of mind games to defeat his opponent.

Chrono's biggest strength is his mind games. All he needs to do is convince that the move his opponent is making is the right move, even when it's not. As his most effective range is the medium range, he needs to convince his opponent that close range is too risky, or make his opponent go into such a range as a trap. Chrono is an expert at controlling the battle.

Chrono isn't particularly fast nor powerful. Because of this, he'll have trouble finishing battles quickly. In addition, he'll have trouble with opponents with overwhelming speed or power. In either case, it's likely that he'll be able to last a while, and can be a great asset in group battles.

Subaru
Optimal range: Close and Medium
Subaru specializes in close range attacks and high-speed movement. She acts through high-inertia movement and uses it in her attacks. She is well balanced in speed and offensive and defensive capabilities.

Her inertia is her biggest strength; the ability to move quickly and use that movement to power her own attacks. However, it can take time for her to reach her full power, and any movement hindering effects will have an increased effect on Subaru. In addition, her inertia-based movement can make her more predictable than other characters.

Her inability to fly and lack of ranged attacks can prove to be a fatal flaw. Alone, she would have an almost no chance against flying opponents with ranged attacks. To counter this, she would need either a method of flight, a long range attack, or some way of making platforms in the air quickly. Without any of these, she would need to rely on somebody else to handle such opponents.

Teana
Optimal range: Mid-close to Medium
Teana seems to specialize in illusionary magic, and is also capable of ranged attacks. She's not as fast or as mobile as Subaru, but she isn't lacking either.

Teana seems to be at her best at indirect combat or support. Her illusionary spells can help hide herself during indirect combat, or offer distraction during support. Above all else, it seems she needs time in order to properly take advantage of her offensive capabilities. This doesn't seem to be too viable for direct combat confrontations.

Teana needs to improve for aim. As it is right now, she has a very limited range of which she can effectively combat in. Although she does act as good support, I hope that's not all that she is by the end. It does seem like she's going to have two guns later on, but the question remains of whether or not she will be able to handle it. Right now, it doesn't seem like it.

---

Ok, that's it for now. Anything somebody disagrees on? I'll say again that everything here is simply based on observations on the show. Nothing else.

[Ultima_Rasengan05]

i really like Teana's illusion spells....it wasn't something i was expecting also in the first episode!!

[Loner]

Originally Posted by Ultima_Rasengan05

waoh when did that happen to Nanoha??

Spoiler:

when Nanoha is at the brink of death from a surprise attack and Vita saving her life from it???
did it happen in the manga already or is it just speculation??

Answer:

Spoiler:

They haven't officially shown when it occurred yet. Probably, since they bothered to put that into the manga, it'll be a substory that will show up in StrikerS (otherwise, why bother to invent it?). But clearly it had to be after A's (Vita and Nanoha didn't work together during A's) but before the manga.

for some reason though, with this whole "ranking military status" that they're using now in the show, i can't but stop thinking that this show is kinda like FMP, but with magic and very advanced magic technology

Hmmm, I thought Reinforce's hair color looked familiar. Maybe her last name is Testarossa?

and by the way, what city are Nanoha and crew staying at??
it looks like some kind of future space city??
last time i checked, i know Nanoha used to live on Earth with her parents....

The city is on the world of Midchilda, which is a major stronghold of the TSAB and apparently where the primary school of magic used by the TSAB originated. There's been no city name given anywhere yet - the whole planet may be one big metropolis, ala Coruscant from Star Wars.

We don't yet know if Nanoha moved her permanent residence off of Earth, but she probably doesn't spend much time there. Earth, as last depicted in A's, is still in it's "pre-contact" phase and, as such, is still under a Prime Directive kind of "hands off" rule as far as the TSAB is concerned. Thus, that's one HECK of a daily commute.

[Outlaender]

Here's an interesting thought. The pink haired girl glimpsed briefly in the opening animation, has a square sigil aparently, similar in style to the Belka triangle. According to manga backstory, from some time before the Airport disaster, and after,
AMF equipped drones have been appearing at sites containing Lost Logia, and attempting (or succeeding) at making off with said Logia. The girl is possibly something like the Book of Darkness, but collects magical artifacts rather than linker cores. Something, or someone, activated it, and now it continues to follow it's purpose, which would seem to be collecting dangerous magical artifacts.

It's original purpose could be benign, or malignant, or being presently used to someone else's ends ( Chrono and Verossa Acous discussed how Lost Logia were
turning up more and more often in the conflicts and tribulations among the TSAB world) In keeping with the recurring theme of antagonists not being "truly evil",
it could be a tool designed to prevent the abuse of Lost Logia, but in the current
situation it's coming into conflict with the TSAB.

This all pure speculation, bear in mind.

One other idea that comes to mind- the square sigil could be the forerunner of Belka-type, perhaps even the magic-type of Al Hazred, the destroyed Civilization.

We'll have to wait and though, won't we. ^_^

[johnjefferson3]

her name is Lutecia and she is the first so called villian and she uses a new catogorey of magic that has not been see before, but then again all the people we have know and the new people have new moves also, so you might want to have a peice of paper with you when you watch it so you know who is doing what at any given time, there are allready over 80 different magic moves and combinations allready and were easily going to have at least 20 new ones just from the good people for sure!!!!!!!

[Chaos2Frozen]

Originally Posted by johnjefferson3

her name is Lutecia and she is the first so called villian and she uses a new catogorey of magic that has not been see before, but then again all the people we have know and the new people have new moves also, so you might want to have a peice of paper with you when you watch it so you know who is doing what at any given time, there are allready over 80 different magic moves and combinations allready and were easily going to have at least 20 new ones just from the good people for sure!!!!!!!

Is it confirmed that she's a villian? Is there a possibility that she's a good guy that helps them on the side lines, just not working directly with them?

[Kikaifan]

Originally Posted by Meophist

I thought I'd just post a little summary of what I think of the character's combat abilities right now. This is as of StrikerS episode 1.

---

Ok, that's it for now. Anything somebody disagrees on? I'll say again that everything here is simply based on observations on the show. Nothing else.

I disagree that Fate is predictable. Though they can't match the range of Nanoha's extended-range beams she and Chrono have the best all-range capability and the most spell variety, and their skirmishing style is the most tactically flexible, especially compared to Nanoha's bombardments and Signum and Vita-style beatdowns.

I also think the strength of Nanoha's shields and Signum's armor is noteworthy and places them a step ahead of other characters where resisting attack is concerned.

I don't really think anything can be said about Hayate except that if she inherits YnS' tendencies she'll be the strongest in pretty much every category.

[kct]

Well, we are never sure if she will turn to the good side.

[Chaos2Frozen]

Originally Posted by kct

Well, we are never sure if she will turn to the good side.

Ah, but are we even sure that she's on the bad side to begin with? Is it in the starter book or something?

[kct]

That is what I want to know too, otherwise it is baseless speculation. However, no one is truly a villain in Nanoha, so we can't be really sure for now ^^.

[Meophist]

Originally Posted by Kikaifan

I disagree that Fate is predictable. Though they can't match the range of Nanoha's extended-range beams she and Chrono have the best all-range capability and the most spell variety, and their skirmishing style is the most tactically flexible, especially compared to Nanoha's bombardments and Signum and Vita-style beatdowns.

Fate is actually rather inflexible. She is incredibly weak at long range against mobile targets and concentrates the most upon her strong close to medium range attacks.

Her linear movement, both in her own and her attack's, is something that leans towards predictability. This is also one of the reasons why she is weak at long range. Changing directions to avoid attacks is more effective the closer one is to his/her opponent, and linear attacks at such range are much easier to avoid. Linear attacks are most effective at medium range, where they can most take advantage of thier increased speed and ranged capability but without having to deal with their relatively predictable flight path.

Originally Posted by Kikaifan

I also think the strength of Nanoha's shields and Signum's armor is noteworthy and places them a step ahead of other characters where resisting attack is concerned.

I did say that they have improved defense among others, didn't I?

Originally Posted by Kikaifan

I don't really think anything can be said about Hayate except that if she inherits YnS' tendencies she'll be the strongest in pretty much every category.

I don't think she did, but then again, pretty much everything I said about Hayate is just guessing.

[raidou]

Originally Posted by johnjefferson3

her name is Lutecia and she is the first so called villian and she uses a new catogorey of magic that has not been see before, but then again all the people we have know and the new people have new moves also, so you might want to have a peice of paper with you when you watch it so you know who is doing what at any given time, there are allready over 80 different magic moves and combinations allready and were easily going to have at least 20 new ones just from the good people for sure!!!!!!!

Well, we are never sure if she will turn to the good side.

There is no confirmation whether she is a bad/good or somewhere in between ...lots people just assumed that she is the villain because of the impression shown in the opening , personally i think she would be neutral
I have a feeling some of the new characters attacks would be really similar to the old cast.Btw I don't remember Fate having G-Deathscythe type where she throw scythe shaped energy bolt(in the opening),that's new right?

Originally Posted by npal

No more lolis

You sure i count at least 3 in eps one/opening alone....

[Chaos2Frozen]

Originally Posted by raidou

There is no confirmation whether she is a bad/good or somewhere in between ...lots people just assumed that she is the villain because of the impression shown in the opening , personally i think she would be neutral

I just automatically assumed that, given the record of this series, the young, cute and talented little girls are never bad...

You sure i count at least 3 in eps one/opening alone....

Really? I counted 5...

If Rein can be considered loli...

EDIT: Bleh, my bad... Eilo doesn't count right ?

[Woden]

Originally Posted by raidou

Btw I don't remember Fate having G-Deathscythe type where she throw scythe shaped energy bolt(in the opening),that's new right?

Doesn't she use that against Signum in A's? I'm pretty sure it isn't new...

[Bloodseeker]

Originally Posted by npal

No more lolis

That's a good thing here. I've been able to use that to help convince people that were previously put off by the raving pedos drooling over Fate's loli ass to watch the first two seasons.

[Meophist]

Originally Posted by Chaos2Frozen

I just automatically assumed that, given the record of this series, the young, cute and talented little girls are never bad...

That'll be a nice twist.

…really, we haven't had a "bad person" since the first series. I kinda hope we get somebody who's actually evil in this series.