Anchor and Shield

Anchor and Shield in the arena

**锚与盾** (**Máo yǔ dùn**, translated as **Anchor and Shield**, alternatively referred to as **Spear and Shield** in the Mech+ version) was a heavyweight robot from Jinzhou, Liaoning, China, which competed in the one-off series *This is Fighting Robots*.

A full-body spinner, it was the successor to *King of Bots* Season 1 competitor Chinese Aegis, and was selected by Blue team manager Zhang Yishan to compete in the main competition. Anchor and Shield won its first battle against Earth Mover in the Freestyle Combat stages, but was avenged by the former in a subsequent Alliance War round. Later on in the latter battle, it became immobilized by Megabyte, eliminating Anchor and Shield from the competition. Anchor and Shield reprised its place as one of Yishan's machines in the Eight-robot Rumble, but was permanently eliminated after Megabyte immobilized it once more within the opening moments.

A featherweight version of the same name later competed in *King of Bots* live events and the televised 2019 Opening Battle, with Wang Guozhe and Wang Yu.

## Design

Anchor and Shield was a circular-shaped full-body spinner, decorated with an anchor to reference its name and the team's naval background. The outer rim spun at high speeds to deliver powerful impacts to opponents, while offering 360 degrees of defence and a low center of gravity. However, the spinner did not work in Anchor and Shield's second battle, leaving it with no backup plan for offensive output.

## Robot History

### This is Fighting Robots (Season 1.5)

"*Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. It's great.*"
— Sa Beining weighs his thoughts on Anchor and Shield

During the initial 'blind selection' process, Anchor and Shield was selected by Zhang Yishan to compete as a member of the Blue team. Its full-body spinner design drew further observations from all four managers before the start of the second phase, with Sa Beining highlighting its low center of gravity as a potential advantage.

A battle for Anchor and Shield did not materialize until Episode 4, however, when it became the final robot available to Yishan during the two-part Freestyle Combat rounds. Thus, it was selected to compete in a head-to-head against Earth Mover, whose manager Wu Chun was also running out of available machines.

In an attempt to evade Earth Mover's initial charge, Anchor and Shield drove straight into the arena wall, halting the momentum for its full-body-spinner. Anchor and Shield then drove directly onto Earth Mover's lifter, but later delivered a large blow to the front of its yellow and black opponent. With another hit, Anchor and Shield sent Earth Mover reeling into one of the maces. Earth Mover became immobile upon contact with the mace, allowing Anchor and Shield to secure a late knockout win for Zhang Yishan.

In the 2v2 Alliance War rounds, Anchor and Shield was partnered with Two BBQ of the Yellow team, fighting Earth Mover for the second time, as well as the American full-body spinner Megabyte.

Immediately, it drove into Earth Mover, only to be deflected into the open pit. Anchor and Shield remained in the pit until it was raised back out a few moments later, and attempted to evade Megabyte as the latter approached. However, it was unable to get its own full-body spinner operating, and sustained numerous hits from Megabyte while bumping into the wall spikes and grinders. Sparks and shrapnel flew as Anchor and Shield was repeatedly hit by Megabyte, which proceeded to buffet and shepherd the blue and silver machine across the arena for some time. Eventually, Anchor and Shield was left completely immobilized, and was eliminated from the competition along with Two BBQ.

For a chance to be potentially reinstated, Anchor and Shield also fought in the Eight-robot Rumble as one of Zhang Yishan's two representatives. There, it fought Golden Hoops, Lieutenant Bam, Megabyte, Polar Opposite, Spectre, Two BBQ, and Wrecker. However, Anchor and Shield was immediately targeted by Megabyte once again, which perceived Anchor and Shield as a major threat. A strong hit from Megabyte threw Anchor and Shield into the wall, and instantly immobilized it. As a result, Anchor and Shield became the first robot to fall in the rumble, which was ultimately won by Polar Opposite.

## Results

### Wins/Losses

* Wins: 1
* Losses: 2

## Series Record

*NOTE: Wang Guozhe and Wang Yu also competed in the 2019 Opening Battle with the featherweight version of Anchor and Shield.*

## Trivia

* Anchor and Shield was one of the only robots in *This is Fighting Robots* to lose a match against a robot it had previously beaten.
* On occasions, international roboteers such as John Mladenik from Robotic Destruction Company referred to Anchor and Shield as simply **Sailor**.
* Along with Black Rabbit, Anchor and Shield is the only heavyweight known to have consistently shared the same name as its featherweight counterpart during *King of Bots* or *This is Fighting Robots* events. Another team, Iron Scrap, named their featherweight Patchwork for the 2019 Opening Battle despite the robot usually carrying the same name as the heavyweight Iron Scrap.