Type-00 Takemikazuchi

History

Intended by the Royal Guard to replace the aging Type-82 Zuikaku, the @Type-00 Takemikazuki is by far the strongest unit fielded by the Japanese, with a heavy emphasis placed on close-quarters combat and superior maneuverability. Greatly surpassing the Type-94 Shiranui in performance, the Type-00 is matched only by a select few other TSFs, and as befitting of a close-quarters unit, is a highly resilient machine.

Various parts of the Type-00 have been weaponized for close-quarters contact, including its head crest, fingertips, legs, and the inclusion of bladed weapons mounted in its arms, a design similarity shared by Soviet and European TSFs. Its feet structure is different from previous Japanese TSFs, utilizing a new zygodactyly design that retains the sole spikes of the Type-94 and Type-97 Fubuki in each toe.

Development of the Type-00 begun in 1991, when the Royal Guard issued a demand for a replacement to the Type-82 to prevent their combat power from falling behind that of the IJA/MDF, which was at that time developing the TSF-X that would later become the Type-94 Shiranui. In 1992, the Asuka Program was launched as the Royal Guard started development of their own TSF type; much of the TSF-X's internal frame design was re-used to reduce the time spent on research, with the main focus being on improving the close-quarters combat capability of the new TSF by incorporating super-carbon weaponry into its frame. Concerns about the new TSF's usability, maintainability, and costs were quashed by the Royal Guard, on the basis that their pilots were of an elite group, and their operations were focused on the defense of the Japanese mainland, making logistics support a far smaller concern.

The first prototypes, the Type-98X series, were completed in 1998, and plans were drafted and set into motion for the mass-production of the various Type-00 variants; this continued through the BETA Invasion of Japan in 1998 and Operation Lucifer in 1999, until 2000, when the Type-00 entered actual deployment.

The Imperial Army had also considered adopting the Type-00, but the high cost per machine and slow production rate forced them to abandon the plan in favor of keeping the older Type-94; at average, only 30 Type-00s can be produced a year. The Type-00 series also have very specific maintenance requirements, and even the least important of their components are expensive and hard to procure in acceptable numbers. However, this is offset by the quality of its construction, which allows the Type-00 to operate for longer periods of time with a shorter and/or tighter maintenance schedule.

Deployment

The Type-00 has seen little use outside of Royal Guard operations due to their exclusive nature; excluding very special cases, normal pilots are unable to pilot a Type-00, as the Royal Guard do not procure these units for any other branch of the Imperial Japanese military.

Several variants of the Type-00 exist, and their type can be determined by their eye-catching color schemes. While the colors may seem flamboyant, all camouflage schemes so far have failed to work on the BETA, and the bright colors of the Type-00 series serve as important rank-based visual cues for allied pilots and commanders during the hectic nature of close-quarters combat.

Because of the low procurement rate of the Type-00, most if not all of the units produced are assigned to the 16th Guard Battalion, and the various Independent Guard Flights of the Regent Houses. At least one known Type-00F was also granted to the Royal Guard's White Fang Squadron as TSFs for use in weapons development and testing.

Most of the combat seen by the Type-00 during major engagements, such as the 12/5 Incident, Operation 21st, and the Defense of Yokohama Base, would be on Japanese soil. It would not be until Operation Ouka and later that Type-00s were deployed to battles overseas.

Variants

Type-98X

The designation given to all Type-00 prototypes, the Type-98X was likewise split into four variants; the Type-98XR, Type-98XF, Type-98XA, and Type-98XC.

In response to a request by Kyoko Takatsukasa, and upon the orders of the Shogun during the Defense of @Kyoto in 1998, one unit of each type, initially bound for transfer to the rear lines, were sortied in a rescue operation to find and retrieve 2nd Lieutenants @Yui Takamura, Kazusa Yamashiro, and Izumi Noto, when their dire situation was made known to Royal Guard command. Kyoko herself located Yui in the end, when she, in the Type-98XR, found and destroyed a swarm of Tank-class BETA with only a @Type-74 PB Blade and a @Type-87 Support Assault Cannon to secure the area for Yui's rescue as the sole survivor.

The deployment of the prototypes not only proved the Type-98's capability for melee and close-ranged combat, but also served as a source of morale for the hard-pressed Japanese troops, when news of its deployment was made known.

Type-00R

The Type-00R, usually colored purple or blue, is a machine crafted for the exclusive use of the Shogun and the five Regent Houses serving under the Shogun's command, with the highest possible performance of the Type-00 series. Purple is used only for the Shogun him/herself, while blue denotes a relation to the Regent Houses; thus, the Type-00R can be considered the base variant of the Type-00 series.

Compared to the Shogun's Type-00R, the blue Type-00R represents the actual variant, which uses a small number of common parts with other variants of the Type-00 series to reduce already sky-high manufacturing costs.

Unlike the other Type-00 variants, the Type-00R's multiple sensors are hidden by black-tinted covers, leaving two transparent portions that easily give the TSF the appearance of having two "eyes."

One purple Type-00R was delivered to the UN's @Yokohama Base in 2001, as a gift from the Shogun to @Meiya Mitsurugi, then a cadet and @Trainee pilot stationed there. As the Shogun's personal TSF, that particular Type-00R was tuned for maximum combat effectiveness, and even included a biometric identification unit to prevent unauthorized boarding; it could be truly considered a customized unit in every aspect. However, it did not see actual combat action until Operation Ouka, where it was piloted by Meiya Mitsurugi.

Type-00F

The Type-00F, a variant painted in red or yellow, is used by distinguished commanders, fudai (inner vassal) nobles, or bodyguards for royalty in the Type-00R. The parts used in the Type-00F are less exclusive than the Type-00R for ease of repair and production, resulting in a technically inferior TSF compared to the Type-00R.

Most Royal Guard pilots assigned a Type-00F are fudai, hereditary vassals of the Shogunate, who pilot the yellow variant of the Type-00F. The rest are assigned to security units connected to the five regent houses of the Shogunate, colored red. Members of the security unit have absolute command authority when the decisions involve their noble protectees, and they enjoy certain privileges of being direct servants of the five regent houses, but they are not necessarily higher in rank or nobility than the fudai vassals.

Type-00A

The white Type-00A is a variant fielded by officers from a tozama (outer vassal) samurai family, either serving under a higher commander or in charge of a smaller combat unit; their combat performance is another step down from the Type-00F for ease of repair and/or production.

Type-00C

The grey Type-00C is the last and lowest-performing Type-00 variant; it is designed with a simplified head sensor mast, and its mechanical joints experience a 30% drop in performance compared to the Type-00A, although they still have 20% higher engine output and 60% joint strength/durability increase over the Type-94.

Type-00C's are used by those inducted into the Imperial Guard, either through recommendation or on temporary loan from other branches, that are not from the nobility. These officers typically always serve as subordinates in the Royal Guard, regardless of their original rank and authority.