Murasame Liger

The nihongo|Murasame Liger|ムラサメライガー|Murasame Raigā (from 村雨, which may mean "Village Rain") is a type of Zoid, a race of mechanical lifeforms from the fictional "Zoids" universe. The Murasame Liger is the main 'hero' Zoid of the fourth anime series, "".Zoids
Zoid_name = Murasame Liger
ImageName = murasame.jpg
Caption = The "Murasame Liger" (Zoids: Genesis)
Model_number = GZ-010
Faction = NA
Zoid_type = Liger
Crew = 1
Weight = 87.0
Length = 22.3
Height = 9.2
Speed = 307 km/h
Weapons = Murasame Blade, Dual Sword Cannon, Triple-Barrelled Shock Cannon, Strike Laser Claw x4, Tail Blade
Equipment = Pile Bunker x2

=Overview=

The Murasame Liger (Ligers are a Lion and Tiger mix) type Zoid, unique to the "Zoids: Genesis" fictional universe.

The Zoid's main weapon, and most distinctive feature, is the Murasame Blade, a large blade mounted to a collar on the waist of the Zoid. The blade is mounted on a swivelling arm, which allows the blade to cover a 300^o arc, while being able to swing through ninety degrees from the top of the Zoid to the left side. The sword has the kanji '村雨' (pronounced "murasame" and likely meaning "village rain" [ [http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr AltaVista Babelfish translation] ] ) engraved on its flat, and is made from Metal Zi, an incredibly strong ancient metal.

The Murasame Liger is fast and agile, its overall performance comparable to the Liger Zero. To further enhance its performance, the Zoid is equipped with a pair of Pile Bunkers on its legs that allow it to make sudden high-speed turns.

Alternate Forms

In addition to its standard form, the Murasame Liger possesses two additional forms, named Hayate and Mugen. It reaches them via transformation ("Evolt") during times of great stress or need.

* The red nihongo|Hayate Liger|ハヤテライガー|Hayate Raigā (from 疾風, meaning "hurricane") form loses the Murasame Blade from its back, gaining in its place the Murasame Knife and Murasame Divider (formed from the original blade, and located on the Zoid's forelegs), along with a powerful booster array. The boosters increase the speed of the Zoid to over 400 km/h.
* The white nihongo|Mugen Liger|ムゲンライガー|Mugen Raigā (from 無限, meaning "infinite") form is significantly heavier than the other two forms, with a corresponding loss in maximum speed. The Murasame Blade is again lost, but is replaced by two large blades that are crossed across the Zoid's back when stored.

Battle Story

The Murasame Liger is an ancient Zoid, created during the "Ancient Era" before the "Age of Technology". The Murasame Liger was one of their greatest achievements, able to transform into more powerful forms. This ability was sealed away inside the Zoid's core, and can only be released by a skilled pilot.

The Ancient Civilization vanished, their Zoids forgotten until after the Great Cataclysm that all but destroyed the world, when the Murasame Liger was recovered, and revived.

In the battle story, it is not clear if the Murasame Liger is a specific, unique Zoid or just a Zoid type.

Media appearances

Anime

The Murasame Liger and its alternate forms are unique to the "" anime.

The Murasame Liger was discovered by Ruuji and a team of underwater salvagers in a bay near the Mirodo village. Initially unpilotable by anyone in the Mirodo village, the Liger activates when Ruuji enters the cockpit during a Bio-Zoid attack on the village. Ruuji sets out after the attack to find a mechanic to fix the village's generator, which was damaged in the attack.

The primary weapon of the Murasame Liger, the "Murasame Blade", is a relic worshipped by the Mirodo villagers. It is revealed during the attack that the weapon belongs to the Liger, and is made of a rare material called Metal-Zi, the only substance truly effective against the Hell Armour of the Bio-Zoids.

The bond between Ruuji and the Murasame Liger is strong, and it is through Ruuji's emotions that the alternate forms of the Murasame Liger are awakened. When Ruuji or one of his companions is in mortal danger, the Zoid will "evolt" into the Hayate Liger and, later the powerful Mugen Liger. Evolt is a reconstructive process where the Murasame Liger temporary evolves . The Zoid also has a powerful ability to regenerate.

Models

Murasame Liger

*Assembly required. (Snap-together, no glue needed. Scissors or X-acto knife recommended for trimming off excess plastic bits.)
*The model's colours are moulded into the plastic, and it does not need any paint.

The Murasame Liger is the tenth model in the "Genesis" line. The Murasame Liger comes with a pre-assembled motorised body and legs, as well as six frames of parts, a pre-built spring-loaded sword, a transparent canopy cover, two transparent eye pieces, sixteen rubber caps, a small blue pilot figure, a label sheet and a display stand. The Murasame Liger is moulded in black, white, light blue and gold with orange caps.

Unlike other Zoids, the Murasame Liger's legs and body are already assembled and held together with screws; in essence the Zoid is already half-built. The remaining assembly is relatively easy for a Zoid of its size. The Murasame Liger uses a pair of "AAA" sized batteries for motion. Once activated, the Zoid walks forwards with its jaws chomping. The sword on its back has a built-in, spring-loaded action that causes it to spring out and slide to one side; unlike in the anime, the weapon can only be positioned on the Zoid's right.

The Murasame Liger suffered from poor quality control, a problem exaggerated by the pre-built nature of the model. Murasame Ligers were known to veer sharply to one side, to seize up when walking or simply not walk at all. Because the model was pre-built, these problems could not be easily corrected. The Zoid often would also suffer from poor parts fit, with many pieces readily falling off the Zoid.

The Murasame was released in early 2005, with production discontinued by mid 2005. The Zoid suffered from poor sales, possibly related to its pre-built nature.

Murasame Liger Special Colour Edition

A limited version of the Murasame Liger, recoloured with metallic blue parts replacing the light blue and a lighter shade for cockpit visor. Additionally, it came with a 10 cm tall Ruuji figure.

Holotech Murasame Liger

A limited edition model only available through pre-ordering the first "Zoids: Genesis" DVD boxed set. This version was made mostly out of clear plastic with a slight tint to it with some pieces being opaque white along with the caps. It is sometimes mistakenly referred to as "crystal", crystal itself being an unofficial fan term for the limited clear Z-point Zoids.

LB Murasame Liger

The LB Murasame Liger was the second Zoid in the "Legends Series", a subline of "Neo-Blox". Styled after the "Genesis" Murasame Liger, the LB has been redesigned to be equal in size to other Neo-Blox Zoids.

The model comes on five frames along with three Neo-Blox modules, a clear canopy, a sword, a frame of connectors also included with several other Neo-Blox and a chromed gold pilot. Two of the frames were first used on the Brave Jaguar. The colours are based on those of the Genesis Murasame Liger, but lack the gold details.

Valkyrie Caesar

A recolour of the LB Murasame Liger was included with the Valkyrie Caesar kit. This version was recoloured in black and white with an orange canopy. The kit also included similarly recoloured versions of the Brave Jaguar and Hard Bear.

Related Zoids

The Hayate Liger and Mugen Liger are similar to the Murasame Liger, with the Hayate sharing the same pre-built body.

The Blade Hawk and Sauro Knights limited edition models were designed to combine with the Murasame Liger.

Notes