Summary
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercurywas the first TV series in seven years after the release ofIron-Blooded Orphans. It debuted the first-ever female protagonist as well as the first LGBTprotagonist in a Gundam TV series,Suletta Mercury. She pilots herGundam Aerialfor most of the series, until her sister Ericht, Aerial’s true identity, casts her aside in an effort to save her from their mother’s plans. After being reunited withMiorine Rembranand being picked out by the Space Assembly League to defeat her mother, Prospera Mercury, and Quiet Zero, she agrees to pilotGundam Calibarn. Calibarnwas deemed a “monster"by the Space Assembly League, due to her lacking safety measures to help pilots withstand the toll of her Permet Score.
Suletta proves to be suitable for Calibarn, and together, they stop Lady Prospera and Quiet Zero, whilealso ending the Gundam curse. Calibarn, while having very little screentime, is shown to be extremely powerful. With the combination of her equipment and her skilled pilot, she proved too much for Quiet Zero to handle. Here’s all you need to know about the fabled monstrous Gundam.
Calibarn’s Top-Notch Equipment
A Deadly Monster
Calibarn was initially developed as a competing unit to the Lfrith. They were both meant to serve as the Vanadis Institute’s contribution to Ochs Earth forces. However, Calibarn did have the safety measures Lfrith had, which meant that pilots couldn’t survive the overwhelming data storm damage caused by her Permet Score. Therefore, Lfrith was fully developed and mass production units based off her were used by both Vanadis and Ochs Earth. Calibarn was then seized by the Space Assembly League during the Vanadis Incident, where all the records of her existence were deleted and she was kept in storage. After Suletta became her pilot, Calibarn was equipped with a few but incredibly powerful weapons that Suletta used in thebattle against Quiet Zero and her sister Ericht.
Beam Vulcans, Quick and Reliable
Calibarn has dual Beam Vulcans located on her head, similar to most Gundams in the franchise. These are mainly used for close encounters to intercept enemies or damage equipment from up close.
Beam Sabers, Standard Melee Weapon
Again, just like most Gundams, Calibarn stores two Beam Sabers in her backpack. She can use one of these in her left hand while she holds the Variable Rod Rifle in her right. These sabers are always set to combat configuration, shown by their blue color.
Variable Rod Rifle, A Witch’s Broomstick
The Calibarn’s main weapon. The Variable Rod Rifle, affectionately called by fans: Beam Broomstick, is a portable massive firearm in the shape of a broom. On the rear end, it has a propulsion unit made of four Quadra Thrusters. These are strong enough to propel Calibarn, giving her immense speed. On the front end is a uniquely-shaped cannon that shoots a powerful beamcapable of destroying mobile suits in one shot. Suletta uses this weapon to both dodge the unrelenting fire of the Gundnodes and destroy several of them in one continuous shot.
Escutcheon Shield, A Sister’s Gift
After Ericht Samaya/Gundam Aerial Rebuild is defeated, she gives Calibarn her Escutcheon Shield and all the eleven GUND-BITS with the souls of their eleven repli-sisters. These attach onto Calibarn just like they did for Aerial. This gives Calibarn the ability to use GUND-BITS just like Aerial did before. As well as having them join together to form the Escutcheon Shield. As a shield, it works as any other does, but its defensive capabilities are greater than normal thanks to the top-notch engineering of the Aerial.
GUND-BITS, Remotely Controlled Firepower
With the Escutcheon Shield, Calibarn can use the eleven GUND-BITS for either offense or defense. The GUND-BITS are essentially Witch From Mercury’s version of the Fin Funnels seen in theGundam Universal Century, famously used by the Nu Gundam. Calibarn can control them remotely to fire fast and incredibly potent lasers at enemies. They can also form powerful beam shields or barriers. Calibarn uses the GUND-BITS, in conjunction with the other three Gundams, to create a Data Storm that renders the Interplanetary Laser useless.
Permet Score, A Curse and A Blessing
May All Blessings Find Their Way To You
Like all other Gundam units, Calibarn is equipped with the GUND-ARM System. She has several Shell Units across her body that activate the GUND Format. The Permet Score of GUND Format elevates through several levels activated by the pilot.The GUND Format greatly enhances the machine’s capabilitieswhile it puts a heavy physical toll on the pilot. Calibarn’s GUND Format and lack of safety measures for the extreme Data Storm she generates have killed all of her pilots, causing her to be deemed a monster. Suletta Mercury was the only one to not only survive it but also adapt to it, allowing her to pilot Calibarn effectively. However, her body ended up slightly scarred due to the physical damage withstanding the Data Storm.
Permet Score 10, Breaking a Curse
All Gundam units can elevate their Permet Score up until how high the pilot can endure it. By Permet Score 3, it is hard to endure for most. Gundam Aerial had previously reached Permet Score 6, which made her incredibly powerful. Suletta and Calibarn usually fought at Permet Score 5, making them extremely strong, but rapidly tiring out Suletta.With the help of Aerial, Gundam Pharact and Gundam Schwarzette, Calibarn and Suletta are able to reach Permet Score 10, which emits a rainbow-colored light. This lets them create a Data Storm so powerful it completely shut down the Interplanetary Laser.
If you run, you gain one…If you move forward, you gain two
While Calibarn doesn’t have as much equipment as other powerful machines, what she does have, along with her skilled pilot, makes her extremely powerful. She attained similar feats to Gundam Unicorn, controlling other machines with her Permet Score. While having blinding speed and immense firepower, which lets her easily defeat the Gundnodes and Quiet Zero on her own.Among the Alternate Universe series, Calibarn might be one of the most powerful Gundams, along with the Gundam 00 QanT and the Mighty Strike Freedom.
