Top Ten Knightmare Frames
Yup 'nother list. My last Mecha list was a bit light on KMFs so I thought I'd give them a list all of their own. (Shut up! I like making lists =P) The name after the KMF's name is that ofthe pilot.
10. Tristan - Gino Weinberg
The Tristan isn't my favourite KMF but I like the colour scheme of it using traditional gundam primary colours. It doesn't see a great deal of action, nor does its upgrade, the Tristan Divider which is a lot less cool. The only thing particularly spectacular about this KMF is its ability to transform into "fortress mode" which means it turns into a plane, "fortress mode" merely continuing "Code Geass"'s already large list of arbitrarily named technology.
Frankly when you can already fly I can't really see the point of transforming into a less well armed plane, and it seems to merely confuse people for a matter of seconds "It's just a jet..huh!? ...it's a knightmare?." Nonetheless, the Tristan is still a pretty nice KMF, even if the pilot is a bit of a lech.
9. Burai Type-Z - Zero
The Burai is the grunt of the Black Knights' KMFs but that's one of the things I like about it. It looks blocky and unattractive, built for function rather than fashion, which makes the idea that these things are used for warfare all the more believable than compared to the special KMFs used by the Knights of the Round.
I like Zero's custom Burai in particular because, not only is it Zero's first custom KMF, but it has a pretty cool colour scheme blending a dark maroon and a grey-blue colour.
8. Percival - Luciano Bradley
To be frank, Luciano Bradley is a massive cliché. He's a villain that delights in his villainy and loves slaughter. In many ways he's a lot like "Gundam 00's" Ali Al-Saaches. The difference being Ali has charisma, whereas Bradley does not. Well, that's not strictly true, he has forced charisma. Due to the fact he's killed off after a few episodes of being introduced, I guess it was important to establish his badassness to make him a credible threat. As such he has the nickname the "Vampire of Britannia" because he enjoys killing and some crap about drinking his enemies blood or something, which is plain retarded since he'd have to exit his KMF and get into theirs, so I think that's just an urban legend built up around him, or perhaps a mistranslated subtitle. He's mildly more entertaining in the dub if only for being voice by Vic Mignogna.
Anyway, the Percival is his unit, and like the other Knights of the Round it has a special feature, in this case, the extremely phallic MSV Particle Drill Lance. Being the violent character he is there are a frankly ridiculous number of spikes on the KMF to make it look more menacing probably rather than actually serving any purpose (I mean how much damage can those Landspinner spikes really do? Despite this I still think the Percival is a pretty cool unit and its horn reminds me of EVA Unit 01 from "Neon Genesis Evangelion."
7. Vincent - Rolo "Lamperouge"
With a dramatic entry in the first two episodes of the second season, the Vincent looked to be this season's Lancelot. An antagonist KMF who's abilities superseded most others, not only that, but the pilot could manipulate people's perception of time.
However, after it's epic rollout, it doesn't really appear again at all in any major battles and as such seems cast aside. It's still a fantastic looking machine though and it's crowning moment of awesome was more than enough to warrant a place here.
6. Galahad - Bismarck Waldstein
Appearing only briefly, the Galahad makes its presence known quickly. Being built around a similar frame to the Gawain it has an imposing figure at twice the size of normal Knightmares and wields the massive Excalibur sword which is definitely not compensating for anything.
Though it's beaten quickly it still manages to hold off the Lancelot Albion, a 9th generation KMF for a few minutes. Impressive by any standards, plus it looks pretty damn sweet.
5. Zangetsu - Kyoshiro Tohdoh
Tohdoh is fucking badass. No two ways about it. He's the leader of the four holy swords, a revered general who's always stoic and calm yet a fury in battle. His KMF is similarly stylish. A custom model with long flowing hair (what?) and a large samurai sword with built-in rocket boosters for more powerful slashes or quick direction changes to catch enemies off guard. It's sleek black colour also makes the KMF look that much more sleek. It's also one of the few normal KMFs to hold a candle to the Lancelot. Most of the other main characters have massively advanced KMFs but the Zangetsu is relatively normal, thus adding more kudos to its pilot.
4. Guren Kashoushiki - Kallen Kozuki
The Black Knights main unit, upgraded in a fantastic sequence midair to save Zero. The Kashoushiki looks a lot more ..."busy" design-wise than the nishiki, with its spiky ears and glide wing system. It's sharp exterior makes it look much more menacing and ferocious and all-around badass.
(note the pictured Guren is the S.E.I.T.E.N. and not the Kashoushiki)
3. Shinkirou - Zero
The only KMF that was designed specifically for Lelouch, and only HE is able to fully utilise its Absolute Defence Field. It also has the sweet Diffusion Structure Phase Transition Cannon or Zero Beam with the prism thingy that makes the laser go EVERYWHERE. The Shinkiro is the ultimate defence KMF and can even withstand a full blast from the Stark Hadron Cannon, arguably the most powerful KMF mounted weapon.
However it's still slightly less cool than Zero's first special personal Knightmare...
2. Gawain - Zero and C.C.
The prototype stolen by Zero mid way through the first season and used as his flagship unit for the rest of it. Its main feature is its large Hadron Cannons, which were a unique feature in the first season, but seemed to be coming out of everyones arse in the second. Using this weapon Zero dominated the battlefield.
Decked out in a swish black and gold colour scheme and bearing (somewhat confusingly) a resemblance to the Egyptian god Anubis, the Gawain is a great looking KMF and is second in my affections only to...
1. Lancelot Conquista - Suzaku Kururugi
From its launch in the second episode I knew the Lancelot was something else. It's been my favourite from the start, a white knight, or reaper, decimating (decimating means reducing by a tenth or something) eliminating its foes without a second thought. Its use of dual Maser Vibration Swords make it a flashy and functional KMF on the field of battle, striking fear into the hearts of its enemies. The pilot may be a bit of a prick, but that doesn't diminish the cool factor of the white and gold KMF slicing through other KMFs like butter.
