Kintaro

**Key Features** | »» Heavy-duty utility axe»» Rocket-propelled hand w/ retracting chain»» Waterproofed cockpit w/ heater»» Hard hat and gloves»» Lunch pail (Instant ramen)

*"I'm okay!"*

- Kintaro, after an attack
## Tactical Analysis

* **Built to last**: The Kintaro is a modified construction mecha. Armed with an axe originally meant for cutting down trees, but just as effective at cutting down vehicles, the Kintaro is capable of engaging in deadly melee combat, bashing enemy vehicles in with powerful axe blows. And is also quite robust and can take several hits before going down; in fact, it is durable enough to simply wade into the water, meaning that even ships cannot escape the Kintaro's wrath.

* **Grab and Smash**: While not designed to engage at range, the Kintaro can circumvent this weakness to some extent with a secret weapon; the Kintaro can launch its rocket-powered fist at an enemy vehicle of its choice, and then reel the vehicle right into melee range to finish it off.

* **Getting up close**: The weakness of the Kintaro lies in its weaponry; an axe is only good if the Kintaro can get close up. This is particularly problematic when in comes to aircraft, which can strike at the Kintaro without fear of a counterstrike.

* **Let's axe them**: Recently engineers have also managed to make a chainaxe, essentially a chainsaw-shaped axe, for the Kintaro, but only veterans are gifted to test it since they fear a rookie may accidentally saw themselves or the surroundings in half. Said axes turn out to just as easily saw through tanks and buildings as it does trees.

## Background

Ask any good *"sarariman"* worth his yen *"What built the Empire of the Rising Sun?"*, and he won't reply *"nanotechnology"* or the fearsome King Oni, but the humble Kintaro. From Tokyo to Honolulu, this mecha can be seen constructing buildings, digging out ore in mines, cutting lumber, and extracting oil. There is little it can't do, to the point where it was conceived as an alternative if the Rising Sun couldn't steal the MCV concept. It can be stuck in mud or frozen in sub-zero temperatures, but with a little work will be back in operation before lunch is over. These traits and more have spread it around the Empire, but most importantly in one troubled area.

The Empire had annexed the Philippines during World War III, and soon wished it hadn't. While the Empire needed its resources, the Filipinos themselves disdain nothing more than being occupied by a foreign power. They hounded the Spanish and Americans until they left, and they weren't going to give their new freedom to anyone. Since the Tagalog word for "Japanese" (*Hapon*) is now synonymous with the word "enemy" (*kalaban*), the Filipinos dedicated themselves to pushing these new occupiers back into the Sulu sea.

Imperial labourers were terrified to tap into the Philippines' natural resources, and any drones that were sent out would be destroyed quickly. Trying to police the area is next to impossible; Filipinos can learn a martial art in high school that teaches you how to kill a man with a stick. However, the Filipinos lack heavy ordnance, and that's where the Kintaro shines.

The Kintaro had exceeded hopes in that regard. It can traverse the very rough terrain of the many islands of the Philippines with ease; it could even walk between some islands if the operator didn't mind getting his shoes wet. The thick frame is actually quite resilient to even military grade bullets. Given their remote nature, the Kintaro on lumberjack duty are the most attacked of all Kintaro.

Other than a large axe, its hand is modified to shoot at a falling tree and grab it, in order to pull it to where it needs to be. Attacks against them have always resulted in spectacular failures. After the largest of such battles with a lumberjack Kintaro, the Imperial Army purchased Kintaro models from local providers, foreshadowing the introduction of Kintaro into the Empire's army.

Recently engineers have also managed to make a chainaxe, essentially a chainsaw-shaped axe, to help the Kintaro cut down trees faster, but being recent only veterans are gifted to test it since they fear a rookie may accidentally saw themselves or the surroundings in half.

Said pilots soon learned that the new modification not only made it better at cutting trees but also cutting through vehicles, and using it to cut through concrete structures is no different from cutting through a tree.