Summary
Every single Gundams inThe Witch from Mercuryis unique because they are developed by different companies. That’s why although the operating systems of the Gundams are relatively similar, their overall designs and abilities couldn’t be further from each other. One thing they have in common, however, is the fact that these Gundams are some of the most graceful and elegant Gundams in the franchise, both in terms of their weapon systems and their overall looks.
However, there is actually another Gundam from this series that most people may not know about. It’s called Gundam Lfrith Jiu, and it is the strangest Gundam inThe Witch from Mercury, by far.
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Gundam: The Witch from Mercury - Vanadis Heart
The XGF-01[II3] Gundam Lfrith Jiu is the main Gundam fromThe Witch from Mercury’sspin-off series, titledGundam: The Witch from Mercury - Vanadis Heart, written by one of the writers of the main series, Kou Yoneyama, and drawn by Chika Tojou (Youjo Senki). This is the story of another survivor of the Vanadis massacre, a brilliant doctor and researcher named Vilda Miren.
When Cathedra attacked the Vanadis Institute, Vilda managed to narrowly escape with her life, just like Elnora and Ericht Samaya. However, unlike Elnora who decided to seek refuge on Mars, Vilda went straight to Earth instead. There, she continued the research that was left behind by her late peers. While not many people knew about her existence, her life would be over if anybody realized that she was one of the witches who was currently being hunted by Cathedra.
The story of this spin-offtakes place roughly five years after the Vanadis incident. We follow Vilda Miren when she is on the road with a boy named Kiyo Lavot, driving a massive truck while hiding the precious object within their cargo. The first cargo contains Vilda’s mobile lab, fully equipped with state-of-the-art pieces of equipment. The second cargo contains the forbidden mobile suit, the XGF-01[II3] Gundam Lfrith Jiu.
Their journey is mostly calm and uneventful, but whenever any danger appears, Kiyo jumps into the cockpit, takes control of the Gundam Lfrith Jiu, and defeats their enemies. So begins their seemingly endless journey to find a way to cure Kiyo from the cruel curse that was placed on his artificial heart.
XGF-01[II3] Gundam Lfrith Jiu
As the name suggests, the XGF-01[II3] Gundam Lfrith Jiu was actually developed around the same time as the original Gundam Lfrith. That is why the exterior of Gundam Lfrith Jiu looks extremely similar to Gundam Lfrith.
The most noticeable difference between the two is the head part. Lfrith has the usual Gundam head design (gleaming eyes, a mask-like cover for the mouth part, and a couple of v-fins on the head). The head part of Lfrith Jiu, on the other hand, is covered by some sort of translucent material that will only light up whenever Kiyu activates the shell unit. The overall design of Lfrith Jiu’s head looks like the mask used by Arkham Knight fromtheBatman: Arkham Knightgame.
Similar to Gundam Lfrith, Lfrith Jiu also has little to no weapons installed within its body. They both are pretty much a bare Gundam. However, unlike Lfrith which wasdesigned as a multi-purpose mobile suit, Lfrith Jiu focuses more on mimicking the movement of the human body. In a way, it was designed as a proof of concept for Vanadis Institute’s visions and philosophy, which is to create an artificial body to enable the human race to safely venture into space.
As a result, Lfrith Jiu’s movement and range of motion are highly similar to the human body. That is why, although it may be less weaponized than its brothers and sisters, Gundam Lfrith Jiu is by far the most agile and nimble Mobile Suit inThe Witch from Mercury.
Gundam Lfrith Jiu’s Abilities
Although Gundam Lfrith Jiu doesn’t have any weapons installed in its body, it does havean iconic weaponthat no other Gundam in this series ever used. A massive, multipurpose arm called The Tiger Hand. As the story goes, this arm came from an early Gund-Arm prototype mobile suit that was repurposed into a versatile weapon for Lfrith Jiu.
Gundam Lfrith Jiu usually equips the Tiger Hand to its right arm. Once equipped, it can be used as an extension of its arm and works just like any other arm. From grabbing to punching, it can do it all. Furthermore, the Tiger Hand is also equipped with dual high-powered propulsion on its shoulder. This allowed Lfrith Jiu to use the Tiger Hand to launch a Rocket Punch.
Not only that, the fingers of the Tiger Hand can also act as the barrel to shoot out laser beams,effectively turning it into a Finger Gun. As if that’s not enough, the forearm guard of the Tiger Hand can be activated to create an impenetrable energy shield that will disperse any oncoming beam attacks. When not in use, Lfrith Jiu will store the Tiger Hand either on its back like some sort of bizarre backpack, or it will be safely kept in the same cargo as the Gundam itself.
When you consider the unique design of its headgear, its nimble human-like body, and the bizarre giant arm that it used as a weapon, it’s clear thatthere’s no other Gundamlike Lfrith Jiu in the series. Sure, it may not be the strongest Gundam inThe Witch from Mercury, but it is without a doubt the strangest one of them all.
Gundam: The Witch From Mercuryis available to stream onCrunchyroll.
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