Hanzo Z

**Key Features** | »» 40mm *"Hyper Rifle"*»» Fully articulated joints»» Tungsten shield w/ handle grip»» Vector jet thrusters»» Banner (supposedly ceremonial)

*"Let's get things started! Ready, GO!!!"*

- Hanzo Z Commander, opening hostilities

## Tactical Analysis

* **Mobile Fighter**: Hanzo Zs are tall, humanoid mecha, armed with rifles and shields. Their Hyper Rifle Is effectively a oversized assault rifle, and is highly effective against vehicles, splitting them apart with 40mm slugs.

* **Mobile Suit**: Hanzo Zs are also fairly agile, and have amphibious capabilities. In addition, Hanzo Zs can activate a jet boost that allows it to dodge almost any attack, although the Hanzo Z's targeting software cannot gain a lock while the boost is active.

* **Mobile Armour**: The Hanzo Z also boasts extremely tough frontal armour, thanks to its tungsten shield, which can absorb impacts from weapons that would otherwise critically damage the Hanzo Z.

* **Mobile Weapon**: To give Hanzo Z mecha a stronger punch against their targets, underslung grenade launchers are being mounted on Hanzo Zs. However, the small number of these weapons restricts their availability to only the best pilots.

## Operational History

Japan's mecha forces, though instantly recognizable to an outsider, were never intended to be the core of the Japanese armoured divisions. Mecha, it was constantly pointed out, have a great many inefficiencies and disadvantages; they are best used in limited avenues and in conjunction with more conventional vehicles, themselves supporting infantry divisions.

This line of thought came to an abrupt end during the war when it was found that mecha had been misapplied since their inception. They were not tanks, but large infantrymen, and the articulated forms of the machines had given them unique advantages that could not have been predicted. As a result, the Empire commissioned a new wave of more humanoid mecha, and leading the pack is the brainchild of Honda's mecha division, the **Model 69 Hanzo Z**.

Some might find the Hanzo Z's design a little strange, but with a bit of thought it appears to make sense. Honour and civility are two things both highly respected in the Empire of the Rising Sun, so the Allied Peacekeepers - men and women that are both of those things both on and off the battlefield - must have left them pleasantly surprised. The fact that the Empire is currently at peace with the Allies might have something to do with it as well. Regardless of the reasons behind the choice, the Hanzo Z stands just over 8 metres tall and shows the greatest range of motion of any Japanese mecha thus far.

Despite its size, it runs, dives, rolls and crouches with the same agility as any infantryman, giving it a unique advantage over its enemies that the Mecha Divisions have been capitalising on. Hanzo Z pilots have been encouraged to lay low and engage the enemy from behind their shields, then leap in when the enemy is weak and deal the killing blow. To this end, they have been equipped with vector jet thrusters, allowing them unparalleled mobility in exchange for stability and range.

The primary weapon of the Hanzo Z, the so-called *"Hyper Rifle"*, a product of Osaka Imperial Armoury, is very clearly based off infantry assault rifles, though obviously scaled. Its sizable shells, long range and rapid fire rate make it appropriate for use against light vehicles, helicopters and infantry in equal measure, while its underslung grenade launcher, one of the largest of its kind, allows it limited anti-tank potential if equipped, though the weapon is in short supply. The Hyper Rifle is small enough to be used in one of the mecha's hands, allowing the other to be free to carry its battle shield or stabilise it while hovering.

## Behind the Scenes

The Hanzo Z is inspired by *"Mobile Suit Gundam"*.

The flag on its back says "Cain is resurrected" and "Peace through power" (or rather "Peace through an electric socket"). Whether or not this is the work of a Black Hand Cultist with particularly bad Japanese is anyone's guess.

## Just the Stats

 **Armour Type** | Heavy Armour

 **Kill Reward** | 12000

 **DPS** | 14.6