Part 145: Kazuki (Alisa's Branch)

It's because, as a practical matter, you can't use your shield against every attack, and his machine gun arm is phenomenally weak.

Anyway, as we've discussed, I'm going to play the last few missions with upgraded versions of wanzers you guys have submitted. At the same time, I've decided to take the opportunity to go into more detail about which wanzer builds work, and which don't, and why that is. Today, I'll be looking at Kazuki's wanzers, and show off his last wanzer of the branch.

Wanzer Retropecticus: Kazuki (Alisa's Branch)

Build Cycle #0: Mission 9



"Orange Julius"
Submitted By: MUMMYMIN

Parts
Body: Kyojun Mk107
L. Arm: Shangdi 1
R. Arm: Kyojun Mk 107
Legs: Jinyo Mk110

Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
R. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Odin M98 (Shotgun)
R. Hand: Bone Buster (Fist)

I only used this for one mission, and it then given to Ryogo under the name "Ultragunner," so I'll discuss it there.

Build Cycle #1: Missions 10-18



"Beserker"
Submitted by: Capskye

Parts
Body: Zenislev
L. Arm: Kasel M2
R. Arm: Kasel M2
Legs: Kasel M2
Backpack: BX002

Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Cleave Axe
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Sharp Spike

MVP of Mission: 17

Not a terrible design. In fact, it was the basis for most designs for Kazuki from the moment it was designed. That said, it did have serious problems. First of all, it used a baton and a needle, which meant it would never do as much damage as it could have had it had a fist.

More problematically, though, at the point in the game it was designed, there was no real point to have two weapons. The Wude 3 arms, which unlock Double Punch II, were twenty missions away. So, basically, the second weapon was dead weight, especially since Kazuki could have had, and often needed, a shield instead.

Also, the mis-spelling was my fault.

Build Cycle #2: Missions 19-24



"Berzuki"
Submitted by: Capskye

Parts
Body: Zeros
L. Arm: Kasel M2
R. Arm: Kasel M2
Legs: Kyokei Mk 108
Backpack: BX002

Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Mk 9 Baton
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Sharp Spike

MVP of Missions: 20, 21

Basically the same as the Beserker, but with worse legs. It did look pretty cool.

I'll be honest with you, without the catchy name, there wouldn't be much redeeming about this wanzer. There are a lot of problems. The Zeros body unit has less power than the Zenislev of the Beserker, making the Berzuki less capable in close combat. In addition, the Kyokei legs are weaker and have less range. Finally, it still doesn't have a shield, even though it has no way of using both weapons at the same time.

If the Berzuki got into close combat, it was a beast. But, in most missions, it got in a few good hits, got worn down by enemy ranged fire, and got destroyed.

Build Cycle #3: Missions 25-28



"Bullet Hell"
Submitted by: Mehuyael

Parts
Body: Meledyne M1
L. Arm: Shangdi 1
R. Arm: Kyojun Mk 107
Legs: Jinyo Mk 110
Backpack: Mk6 Pack
Computer: COM 6

Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Chongdu 2
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Mingda 2

MVP of Mission: 28

A bold change of course after the previous two melee wanzers. The idea was that the Shangdi 1 arm would trigger Double Shot II, allowing Kazuki to double his firepower. Occasionally, this happened.

There was an odd predilection among the readers to try and use missile wanzer body units on melee, shotgun, and machine gun wanzers. I'm sure the thinking was that it gave the maximum amount of power, and that meant more weapons, and more weapons meant more good.

Now, I get where you guys are coming from, I really do, but it almost never worked. In this case, Mehuyael decided to double down on the Bullet Hell's defensive deficiencies by not giving it a shield. As you might guess, a weak body unit plus no way to protect the body from damage meant that the Bullet Hell was not only its name, but its usual destination.

Although, it should be noted, it was capable of dealing a pretty nice amount of damage thanks to the RoF I from the Kyojun Arm, and the Double Shot II from the Shangdi 1.

Build Cycle #4: Missions 29-34



"Poor Decision"
Submitted by: Ayndin

Parts
Body: Grapple M1
L. Arm: Grapple M1
R. Arm: Tiandong 3
Legs: Zeros
Backpack: Mk5 E-Pack
Computer: COMB554

Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Mk12 Fist
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Mk12 Fist

MVP of Missions: 30, 33, 34

Probably my favorite of Kazuki's wanzers. Granted, I prefer a shield on my melee wanzers, but if you're going to go with two melee weapons, this is how you do it.

The parts work together. The Grapple M1 gives Melee III, the best melee battle skill there is. The Grapple Arm gives Double Punch I, allowing the potential to use both fists, and the Tiandong arm gives Eject Punch, which, while not spectacular, is a nice bonus. Here was a wanzer that could and did level an enemy wanzer in a single turn.

That said, it had its flaws, mainly because it didn't have a shield. I like the Grapple body, but it doesn't have much HP for the amount of power it gives you. Like all of Kazuki's wanzers, it had a tendency to go up in flames. Still, it was always a hell of a ride while it lasted.

Build Cycle #5: Missions 35-41



"Best Served Cold"
Submitted by: Slaan

Parts
Body: Getty
L. Arm: Pare PAW1
R. Arm: Tiandong 3
Legs: Yongsai 3
Backpack: Mk5 E-Pack
Computer: COMC754

Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Chongta 3
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Mk 22 Spike

Not a terrible design, but a balanced wanzer in a game that heavily rewards specialization. The problem is that it's half melee wanzer, half short range wanzer, but not really great at either.

For a shotgun wanzer, it was okay. It's Pare PAW1 arm usually disintegrated in the heat of battle because the part isn't especially durable, but I'd imagine that was necessary in order to make weight. Also, Kazuki at this point hadn't used a shotgun in twenty missions, so didn't have many levels in it, but I'm sure I blame Slaan for that.

As a melee wanzer, it was worse. The Getty isn't strong enough to anchor a melee wanzer, and it had no shield, compounding the problem. The biggest sin is not using a Zenislev arm instead of the Tiandong, as that would have unlocked Double Assault.

Build Cycle #6: Missions 42-50



"Tiger Blood"
Submitted by: IceMole

Parts
Body: Lanze
L. Arm: Wude 3
R. Arm: Foura M12A
Legs: Zeros
Backpack: BPT9MAX
Computer: COMC654

Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Mk 22 Spike
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Big Buster

I'm sure the veterans among you know exactly what flaw I'm going to zero in on, here. It's the Foura M12A arm. Yeah, it has a ton of accuracy, but melee wanzers don't need accuracy, they need arms with huge amounts of HP to sink damage into, especially if they don't have a shield.

Now, the Tiger Blood does have a Wude 3 arm, allowing it to use Double Punch II, and thus realizing the dreams its forefathers the Beserker and Berzuki. Personally, I'd also prefer a Grapple body to a Lanze, but I can understand why you'd want more HP for a wanzer without a shield. All-in-all, a solid design except for the Foura arm, which I can still picture getting blown off by a missile every time I used the Tiger Blood.

Build Cycle #7: Missions 51-55



"Schwanzerchen"
Submitted by: Deceitful Penguin

Parts
Body: Grezex
L. Arm: Lenghe 1
R. Kasel M2
Legs: Yongsai 3
Backpack: BPT9MAX
Computer: COM 6

Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: SN-107G
R. Shoulder: Type 14 GR
R. Hand: Venus

I'll cop to tinkering with this design a bit. The grenade launcher was originally on the left shoulder, with the no-accuracy Lenghe 1 arm. That made no sense, so I put it on the other shoulder.

All-Star Endgame Showcase: Missions 56-59



"Berzuki Final"

Parts
Body: Grapple M1
L. Arm: Wude 3
R. Arm: Wude 3
Legs: Zenislev
Backpack: BPT9MAX
Computer COMB652

Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Final Strike
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Fatal Buster

This is my attempt to build the most powerful wanzer I could based on your past designs. It's mainly a combination of the Berzuki and Poor Decision. I like the Grapple body for its Melee III, which can allow Kazuki to do almost 1000 damage a hit if it goes off. The Wude arms are there for Double Punch II, and I chose the Zenislev legs to save a bit of power, thus making Kazuki's attacks even stronger.

As far as weapon selection, by the end, Def-C has started to actually count for something. To that end, I equipped Kazuki with a needle and a fist, so he has his choice of two different types of damage. I ditched the Venus because I just don't like the aesthetics of that weapon. I mean, it's a giant spiked mace, which would be fine in Vanguard Bandits, but looks kind of silly in this game. It's also less powerful than a fist, and Kazuki is all about doing as much damage as he can, as quickly as he can, because he's probably not going to last that long.

So, there you go, the illustrated history of Kazuki's wanzers.