Laser Blade

The Laser Blade is the signature weapon of the Blade Liger, Liger Zero Schneider and Storm Sworder, as well as the secondary weapon of other Zoids.

Van's Blade Liger, with Blades charged up.

Overview

A hardened blade of steel, the Laser Blades are sharp cutting edges usually attached to the sides of Zoids. The weapons are able to cut through tough Zoid armour, executed by flipping out the Blades and running or flying alongside the enemy. Although the Blades are already sharp uncharged and can be used without the laser systems, their effectiveness is enhanced even further when charged.

Redler

A Redler. Notice the laser blade in the tail.

One of the first appearnces of the Laser Blade was on the Redler. Being a airbourne Zoid, the Redler used its Blade to fight other flying Zoids, such as the Ptera. However, the Redler began to prove to be no match for the Raynos, as it would get shot down before it got in range of using its Blade.

After the meteor strike of ZAC 2056, the Redler was once again brought back into service. By this time, it was not the only airbourne Zoid to use Laser Blades, as the Republican forces had introduced its new Zoid, the Storm Sworder (see below).

King Liger and King Baron

A closeup of the King Liger's head. The four laser blades are at the sides.

The King Liger, along with its rival, the Zeekdober, were some of the first Zoids to use bladed weapons. While the Zeekdober uses two Hell Blazer Blades, the King Liger uses four Laser Blades. The King Liger mounts four of these on its head. It has two small Blades at the front of its head, and two long ones at the back of the head. Being the first land-based Zoid to use them, the King Liger's Blades were relatively small in contrast to Blades used by later Zoids. Despite this, the Zoid was able to utilise the Blades very effectively.

A size comparison between the Blade Liger's blade (top), and the King Liger's blade (buttom).

When the King Liger was upgraded to the King Baron, more guns were added to it, making it more effective in long-range combat. However, it still kept the King Liger's overall original design, and the Laser Blades as a result. This was a good choice, as the Zeekdober was also upgraded into the Ice Blazer.

The meteor strike of ZAC 2056 would destroy all King Barons, and it would be years before another Zoid was made to use the Laser Blades.

Blade Liger

Leon's Blade Liger, with Blades uncharged.

The next Zoid to use Laser Blades, the Blade Liger mounts two Laser Blades on its flanks, one on each side. The Blades' laser systems emit small electron impulse vibrations (as noted by Dr. D in episode 34 of Chaotic Century) that are able to neutralize the Charged Particle Beam. The Blade Liger's Laser Blades mount Pulse Laser guns on their hind edges. The firing angle of these weapons are further enhanced by the fact that the Blades themselves have a very wide range of movement from their hinges, so they can fire in any direction that the Blades point in.

In Guardian Force, Van Flyheight has his Blades upgraded to be able to switch out the Pulse Laser guns for small gatling cannons or sniper rifles.

Max's Blade Liger, with Blades charged up in Zoids Legacy.

The Blade Liger has an anime-exclusive final attack; it can activate its Laser Blades, boosters and E-shield together and then direct the shield's energy into the Blades to cut through enemy armour with even more force and speed. This special attack was demonstrated by Van in Chaotic Century episode 34 and Guardian Force episode 33, and by Leon Toros in New Century Zero episode 25.

Rastani's Blade Liger, with Blades charged up. The Blades here look blue from the voltage system Rastani used.

In Zoids: Fuzors episode 11, the Laser Blades of Rastani's Blade Liger glow blue instead of yellow. This is the result of Rastani adding "extra voltage", as they were the standard yellow in the previous episodes Rastani appeared in.

While the model version of the Attack Booster system limits the usage of the Blade Liger's Laser Blades, the ones that appear in the anime are animated slightly thinner, thus allowing the Blade Liger to continue using its Blades even with the boosters equipped (note that this contradiction does not exist where the High-end Master Model (HMM) Blade Liger is considered, as it still has full use of its Blades with the AB unit equipped in the same way the anime model does).

Liger Zero Schneider

The Liger Zero Schneider, successor to the Blade Liger in both the Battle Story and manga, has seven Laser Blades mounted on it (two at the flanks and an additional five around the mane). These are different from the Blade Liger's in that they do not have Pulse Lasers or any other form of ranged weaponry mounted on.

The Blades on the Schneider's flanks can be used to attack in the same style as the Blade Liger. While they lack ranged weaponry, they are more powerful than those of its predecessor. The five around the mane can be set to point forward in an attack style called the 'Five Blade Storm' (or 'Buster Slash' in the anime).

Like the Blade Liger, the Schneider has an anime-exclusive attack; the "Seven Blade Attack". As the name implies, the Seven Blade Attack is where the Schneider points all its Blades forward (including the flank ones, which is a feat impossible with the model kit) and lunges toward the foe. This attack was used in New Century Zero when Bit's Schneider's Buster Slash was warded off by Leon's Blade Liger, which was using its own anime-exclusive attack at the same time. The Liger Zero's Ultimate X system enabled it to learn, and, after consecutively failing to overpower the other Liger, it prompted Bit to deploy the Seven Blade Attack, which ultimately enabled it to win the duel (although the Schneider armour was badly damaged along the way). As the attack was used just before the series came to a close, specific details on the attack are unknown.

Storm Sworder

The Storm Sworder is a flying Zoid that mounts three Laser Blades (or 'Swords', as its name implies) on its wings and head - one on each wing, and a third on the Zoid's forehead. The wing-mounted Swords are used in a similar fashion to the Blade Liger, but the forehead-mounted one is used in a vertical attack-style similar to the Redler (see above). Although the Zoid does not have any final attacks like the aforementioned Liger Zoids, the Storm Sworder's Swords are still highly effective, especially in the sky.

Diloforce

The Diloforce carries a pair of Laser Blades in addition to its Charged Particle Cannon. Two Blades are located on either side of its hind legs, and a special Laser Sword is sheathed in the tail. The Blades of the Diloforce are rather peculiar, in that they do not fold out length-wise, rather they extend in (the much shorter) width-wise fashion. This limitation should not be viewed in the strictest sense, since the Zoid cannot bend its knees or elbows (presumably, the Blades would extend in the regular Blade Liger fashion, should the Diloforce have articulated joints).

Other Zoids

These are Zoids which utilise Blades without the laser systems, and even some with weapons similar to the Laser Blades:

• Geno Breaker (one non-laser blade on forehead)
• Liger Zero X (two blades referred as "Stun Blades" at the flanks)
• Saberlion (one blade on its head, and two smaller ones on the sides of its face, all referred to as 'high frequency-type' rather than Laser-type)
• Blitz Tiger (two blades referred as "Energy Blades" at the flanks)
• Molga ("laser cutters")
• Death Stinger ("laser cutters")
• Command Striker ("Zan Breaker")
• Leostriker ("Zan Breaker")
• Blitz Haken (several bladed weapons)
• Rev Raptor (two Counter Scythes. In Zoids VSII/Battle Legends, these act as laser blades)
• Leo Blaze (Zan Blade)
• Blade Kong (has several attacks that utilize blades)
• Brastle Tiger (Thermic Sabres on its flanks)
• D.A. Lizards and other fusions involving Leo Blaze (Zan Blade)