Tsugumori

Tsugumori before being assigned to Nagate Tanikaze.

"This Garde, once piloted by the Sidonian hero... it is my dream to one day pilot this, and to protect Sidonia from danger."

"It is nice, to have a dream."

Norio Kunato and Shizuka Hoshijiro

The Type 17 Garde Shiratsuki Remodeled Ver. Tsugumori (一七式衛人 白月改 継衛 Ichinana-shiki Morito Shiratsuki-kai Tsugumori) is the legendary guardian unit belonging to Hiroki Saitou in the 4th Gauna Defense War. After Hiroki retired, the unit was held at the SDF Academy as a display until Nagate Tanikaze suceeded him as the next ace pilot.

Technology & Combat Characteristics

The Tsugumori is part of the Type-17 gardes series created by Toha Heavy Industries during the 4th Gauna Defense War. What stands it apart from the standard Type-17 are the modifications for its ace pilot Hiroki Saitou. Unfortunately, there were no specifications to detail the modifications. After the war, the Type-17 was retired, but Tsugumori's legendary status convinced officials to preserve it at the SDF Academy until it was needed once again. It would stand as a symbol of inspiration for aspiring pilots for the next century until Captain Kobayashi reinstated Tsugumori when Nagate Tanikaze came to succeed its former ace.

The 4th war resulted in severe casualties, with many of its experienced pilots and garde units gone. Toha Heavy Industries eventually closed and that ceased production of the Type-17 series. Eventually, Kunato Developments stepped in to create the Type-18 series. Despite being a generation apart, Tsugumori wasn't an inferior unit. The Type-18 was created to be more automated and simplified, making it easier and quicker for next generation guardians to reach combat-ready status with the controls. Conversely, Tsugumori heavily relies on the manual controlling from its pilot, making its operations difficult to learn. However, when placed under control of a skilled pilot, Tsugumori's combat capabilities can exceed a Type-18, due to its manual systems affording a finer degree of control.

Armaments

Even on a mining operation, such as the one Nagate attended when Gauna 487 attacked, Garde mechs come heavily armed with a wide array of weapons to combat the Gauna threat.

The Tsugumori fires a Heigus beam

Heigus Particle Cannon

Fires a concentrated beam of Heigus particles to disintegrate Gauna's placenta, thus exposing the core for a kabizashi. This weapon has no recoil and excellent range, but rapidly drains the Garde's Heigus reserves. The Garde's head serves as the firing port.

High Vibration Blade

Nagate firing up the Tsugumori's high vibration blades

A set of metal blades edged with pure energy, capable of easily slicing through a Gauna's primary weapon, the tentacles. Each arm of the Garde has an HVB. The primary use for the weapon is to fend off incoming Gauna tentacle attacks.

Gatling Gun

Nagate engages Gauna 487 with the Gatling Gun

A kinetic slug-firing cannon with multiple barrels. The gun has a very high fire rate, using up ammunition with surprising speed. While having some recoil, the hail of slugs can inflict great damage to Gauna's placenta, and can be fired from point blank to medium range with great effect. It is typically seen mounted on the left arm, and comes loaded with 6,000 rounds.

Eishin Sakuretsudan (円心炸裂弾) or Spherical Detonation Ammo

Nagate's missiles before detonation

When fired, they fly to the target, then sink into Gauna's placenta before exploding for maximum effect. Nagate used two missiles on Gauna 487's "face" when it took Eiko Yamano's form. Norio then used two more to cover Nagate's retreat from the same Gauna.

Heigus Particle Collecting System

Tsugumori's Heigus Particel Collecting System

Tsugumori equipped with a Particle Heigus Collection System. With this, Tsugumori can recharge its particle energies during emergency situations. When viewed externally, it resembles a pair of transparent wings from its hexagonal polymers. Not yet known how it works, whether to absorb the electromagnetic radiation from nearby stellar bodies like solar panels and use that energy in an unknown process to generate Heigus particles, or alternatively to catch the free particles in the surrounding areas like a net. Unfortunately, this equipment has an extremely low efficacy in interstellar space, with a very low sustained charge rate; even in 11 days, it is barely able to fill a tenth of the Garde's Heigus particle tank.

Kabizashi

Like all Gardes, the Tsugumori's manipulator hands can grasp the haft of a kabizashi-tipped spear, and thrust or slash with the weapon.

Ballistic Acceleration Device

The BAD's first combat test, displaying its intense recoil

A high-powered railgun designed to fire the combined kabi/heavy mass rounds. This weapon was a prototype made by Toha Heavy Industries, but Nagate claims to have used one in his grandfather's simulator. This weapon allows Gardes to attack and completely destroy Gauna at a safe distance with incredible accuracy, like a sniper rifle. However, the weapon generates an immense recoil force when fired, so much that it can throw the pilot off the course, and gives a loud "bang" like a rifle.

History

The Tsugumori claims yet another Gauna

The Tsugumori was originally piloted by Hiroki Saitou. While being piloted by him, it killed two Gauna that had boarded the Sidonia by destroying their cores with a kabizashi, narrowly saving the ship, which had sustained staggering 99% loss of life in mere minutes. Before the story began the Tsugumori stood as a monument behind a walkway for people to look at. However, once Kobayashi found the need to give Nagate a model he was used to, she had Sasaki fix it up for operations. The Tsugumori has been used to kill more Gauna than any other Garde unit.

Image Gallery

RIOBOT Tsugumori figure

Kotobukiya Tsugumori model kit.

Kotobukiya Tsugumori box art

Plastic model Tsugumori assembled by Tsutomu Nihei

Notes & Trivia

• The two kanji for Tsugumori (継衛) mean "succession" and "protection" respectively.

Links

Knights of Sidonia
Anime	Season 1 (S1 compilation film) | Season 2 | Love Woven in the Stars
Manga	Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3 | Volume 4 | Volume 5 | Volume 6 | Volume 7 Volume 8 | Volume 9 | Volume 10 | Volume 11 | Volume 12 | Volume 13
Key Subjects	Sidonia | Gauna | Gardes | Technology of Sidonia | Characters of Sidonia