ZZ Gundam

This redirect is about the Mobile Suit. For the anime series, see Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ.

The MSZ-010 ΖΖ Gundam (pronounced Double Zeta (ダブルゼータ, Daburu Zēta)), designed by Makoto Kobayashi, is a fictional weapon from the Universal Century timeline of the anime Gundam metaseries. Its popularity has led to many variations, upgrades, redesigns and influenced later design works such as S Gundam. It is named after the third of the Gundam series Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, sequel to Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and is presented in the middle of the story as a new weapon of the protagonist Judau Ashta replacing the battle-worn Zeta Gundam. First portrayed as a multipurpose fighting machine, later variations such as the FAZZ (a test production unit) was portrayed as a less-mobile, long-range fire-support unit. The unit has also appeared in many of the Super Robot Wars series, famous for featuring different giant robot mechas of different franchise together in one mixed story, from the first of the series to Super Robot Wars Alpha 3, a total of 26 games excluding remakes. Inside the Gundam Franchise, it has been featured in the PS2 Game Mobile Suit Gundam Z: AEUG vs. Titans as a hidden unit not being able to purchase in the in-game shop until certain requirements are met. It is also one of the featured units in the March 2007 release PS3/Xbox 360 game Dynasty Warriors: Gundam, a spinoff series of the Koei game Dynasty Warriors. It is also featured in Gundam Evolve 10. In the SD Gundam manga Double Zeta Kun kokoniari(ダブルゼ－タくんここにあリ, Little Double Zeta is here), Double ZZ Kun is the main character.

Concept

ZZ Gundam is a Combine and Transform type mecha; it can be separated into 3 parts, Core Top, Core Base, and the Neo Core Fighter. The Core top and the Neo core fighter could function alone in combat, yet the Core Base requires the Neo Core fighter to be attached and acts as an add-on booster for the core fighter. The ZZ Gundam can also transform to G-Fortress mode, further boosting the fighter capability instead of the mobile suit's AMBAC capability. The name ZZ (Double Zeta) is a reference to MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam, showing its sequel stand point of the unit.

Original

In the original anime series, although not a fully developed Newtype Mobile weapon, the unit is equipped with a bio sensor which can improve the pilot's senses and Psycho-communication capability. The capability was later in the series used by Judau Ashta to rapid-fire the head-mounted High Mega Cannon, which the unit was not designed to do.

Gundam Sentinel

It is code-named as "Θ Gundam" (Theta Gundam) as part of the Project Zeta of Anaheim Electronics in Gundam Sentinel as one of the Anaheim Gundams. The variation "FAZZ" appeared in the photo novel series featured in Model Graphix is the first model released in the series, being the bridge of the animated ZZ Gundam series and the novel Gundam Sentinel, to familiarize and introduce the series to customers, since the copyright holder was not on their side, in promoting the product.

Super Robot Wars

In the first Super Robot Wars (Game Boy), ZZ Gundam was portrayed as a 2.5-headed super deformed unit working on its own without a pilot like the other mechas in the same game. In later series, the pilot system was introduced and it is default to be piloted by its original pilot Judau, yet it is possible to change the pilot ranging from other Gundam series pilots or maybe sometimes even the Real Robot type original hero.

Gundam Evolve

In Gundam Evolve 10, Double Zeta featured a different design. It is used as a patrol unit for the Jupiter fleet (For transporting Helium 3 back to earth as fuel) The core base unit was built on the fleet's flagship Jupitris II and encountered a system malfunction during combat. A new core base built by Anaheim Electronics and sent to the fleet with a mass driver arrived in battle and the combination system was used to save the life of Judau.

Characteristics

One of the features making ZZ Gundam very easy to recognize is the head-mounted High Mega Cannon (50MW as the output power is the 4th most powerful). The cannon is portrayed as a very powerful weapon that will not only destroy anything that gets in its way, it uses up so much energy that ZZ Gundam will cease to function for a short period. Another characteristic of the ZZ Gundam is the Transform and Combine system. It was designed as the 4th generation Mobile Suit with these systems. However, it is obvious that there are little others to fill in the category and the generation mobile suits are Newtype custom Mobile Suits with Psycho-Frame built in to increase reaction time of the units. All of these systems are designed in real life by Mika Akitaka and Katoki Hajime.

Design concerns

The Transformation and Combination feature was taken into serious reconsideration by Katoki Hajime during his design works for Model Graphix, he expressed disapproval of the popular system at that time (which a lot of Robot anime featured one or more) and found it not only weakening the structure of the Mobile Suit and putting the main cockpit in an open area rendering all the armour of the Mobile Suit useless in protecting the pilot, but also raising the price of manufacturing one such mobile suit too expensive and impractical to mass-produce (probably not only stating the statement for inside the Gundam Universe, but also referring to producing Plastic models and toys). In order to counter these problems, he specifically designed an inner cockpit for further protection of the pilot for the S Gundam and mentioned the Full Armour ZZ Gundam armour addon effectively provides defensive measures for the ZZ.

Design Competition

ZZ Gundam received its name before its appearance in the show like most of the other Gundams, however early naming of the unit includes Gundam Mk-III, Omega Gundam and Neo Gundam. Mechanical designers including Makoto Kobayashi(小林誠), Hideo Okamoto(岡本英朗), Mika Akitaka(明貴美加), Hiroyuki Kitadume(北爪 宏幸), Yutaka Idubuchi(出渕裕), Mamoru Nagano(永野護), Kazumi Fujita(藤田 一己) and Kunio Okawara(大河原 邦男) all designed their own version of ZZ Gundam before the show aired. Makoto's design won the competition yet still receiving various clean-ups from Hideo and Mika.

Variations and Appearance

MSZ-010 ΖΖ Gundam

Original of the series, first seen deployed as a weapon against Neo Zeon movement of Earth Federation faction AEUG in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ. Designed by Makoto Kobayashi, Clean-up by Hideo Okamoto, Transformation planning by Mika Akitaka. First appearing in the 1986 Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, later appeared in various other Gundam franchise like plastic models including Master Grade model and Gundam Fix Figuration. The unit received redesigns by Katoki Hajime for the GFF version.

ZZ-GR

Appeared in the 3DCG animation Gundam Evolve 10, ZZ-GR, naming convention following Gundam Evolve net's outline section. Designed by Masato Ichishiki(一式 まさと) for Gundam Evolve 10, featuring a core base built on Jupitris II, flagship of the Jupiter fleet which Judau got on in the end of Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, observed to be using GM III parts.

MSZ-010S (MSZ-010B) Enhanced ΖΖ Gundam

File:FA-010S Full Armor Enhanced ZZ Gundam.jpg

An upgraded unit of the above ZZ Gundam, plot-wise in enhancing the unit's structure to protect the complicated transformation and combination system from being damaged when adding the below armour set on it.

FA-010S Full Armour ZZ Gundam

Full Armour ZZ Gundam, or Full Armor Enhanced ZZ Gundam, a Full Armour upgrade of the unit, designed Mika Akitaka, appeared in Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ episode 46.

MSZ-009 Prototype ΖΖ Gundam

The concept of the ΖΖ Gundam was tested in two MSZ-009 Prototype ΖΖ Gundam which can separated into two parts called G-Top Zero Type and G-Base Zero Type. (and could transform into G-Fortress Zero Type in SD Gundam Games) . The Prototype ΖΖ Gundam's main purpose was to test combining mechanisms, which developed into a new core block system. Appeared in M-MSV, designed by Kunio Okawara.

FA-010A (FA-010B) FAZZ

The FA-010A (FA-010B) FAZZ is a prototype mobile suit from the Gundam photo-novel series Gundam Sentinel. According to the designer Katoki Hajime, the FAZZ was a testbed unit designed by Anaheim Electronics to test out several of the features that would be put into use when they would construct the FA-010S Full Armour ΖΖ Gundam. The acronym FAZZ (pronounced "fahts") stands for "Full Armor ΖΖ. The FAZZ tested the concept of adding extra armour components to critical structural points to make the unit more structurally sound. However, the FAZZ itself had the necessary equipment to transform into the G fortress removed to simplify construction costs, and the armour components of the FAZZ can not be removed or ejected, so the unit is incapable of transforming and combining into G-Fortress mode like the standard MSZ-010 ΖΖ Gundam was capable of doing. Also, the FAZZ's High Mega Cannons were totally inoperable. While the back-pack rods resembling the Hyper Beam Sabers equipped by the ΖΖ, they were instead Beam Cannons derived from S Gundam's back pack cannon.

The feature of this variation is the second most powerful Hyper Mega Cannon(official output of 79.8MW) for long-range fire support.

MSZ-013 Mass Production Type ΖΖ Gundam

A mass-production ZZ Gundam was designed by Kunio Okawara in M-MSV, removing the transformation and combination system, even the core block system itself. The High Mega Cannon mounted on its head was also lower in power yet still a great foe in battle as a mass-production unit. According to Kunio, it never faced mass-production due to generator problems rendering it impossible to fully utilize its High Mega Cannon.

Appearance Outside of the Gundam Franchise

In the Super Robot Wars, ZZ Gundam and its upgrades are long-term base units that appeared in most of the series. Its main feature is still its High Mega Cannon, being able to fire against an area, compared to most weapons in the series being able to target only one single enemy.