Intelligent weapons in anime

[Njr Scrawl]

I'm interested in how many intelligent/adaptive, or "smart" weapons there are in anime.

By that I mean weapons which have their own AI, sentience, or analyse their user's need & switch on &/or work on their own, or with a few simple commands.

So like Grosspoliner in Silent Mobius, the child & orphan in My Hime, or Tachiomas/Fujikomas in GiTS.

[Dylonius Funk]

All the devices used in Nanoha. And the Eva in Evangelion.

[The Great Bear]

There's the Arbalest in Full Metal Panic.

And technically, Normad in Galaxy Angel was the control A.I. for a missile of some sort.

[Splitter]

Would Shakugan no Shana's Kings of Guze (Alastor, Marco, etc.) count?

[Ty]

Chise! Nothing beats a living breathing cute little girl as a weapon.

[tanahome]

Chise! Nothing beats a living breathing cute little girl as a weapon.
i was also wondering if people viewed as weapons would fall in that category too. if so, then there's Lucy from Elfen Lied. but that may open the doors for Saber Marionette, 009-1, etc...

oh, and can't forget the ball-and-chain character from MAR.

and how about the guardians in Tenchi, Neo-ranga, etc?

[Loopstah]

Donnershlag in Kiddy Grade or is he not intelligent I can't remember.

[Lego]

There's the Arbalest in Full Metal Panic.

First thing that came to mind.

[Spirit Of The Stage]

Not sure if it counts but Omokaine from Nadesico?

[Lego]

Or the "Zero System" from Gundam Wing.

[Garasharp K7]

There's Dolores from Zone of the Enders, but you did say intelligent weapons. :)
Mind you, she does go out of her way to help James and his family, and once she goes into battle mode, she's downright lethal.

[The Great Bear]

Chise! Nothing beats a living breathing cute little girl as a weapon.
i was also wondering if people viewed as weapons would fall in that category too. if so, then there's Lucy from Elfen Lied. but that may open the doors for Saber Marionette, 009-1, etc...

oh, and can't forget the ball-and-chain character from MAR.

and how about the guardians in Tenchi, Neo-ranga, etc?

If we're going down that route, then there's the Steel Angels from Steel Angel Kurumi

…and the hentai version in Arisa :>

[Splitter]

Chise! Nothing beats a living breathing cute little girl as a weapon.
i was also wondering if people viewed as weapons would fall in that category too. if so, then there's Lucy from Elfen Lied. but that may open the doors for Saber Marionette, 009-1, etc...

oh, and can't forget the ball-and-chain character from MAR.

and how about the guardians in Tenchi, Neo-ranga, etc?

If we're going down that route, then there's the Steel Angels from Steel Angel Kurumi

…and the hentai version in Arisa :>


Also can't forget V1046-R MAHORO :3

[Mark]

There's the Arbalest in Full Metal Panic.

And technically, Normad in Galaxy Angel was the control A.I. for a missile of some sort.

Now that I think about it, Arbalest reminds me of KITT from Knight Rider. About 80% useful, 20% annoying as hell.

As for Normad, I kinda pity him sometimes. Going from attack missile to the Galaxy Angel whipping boy is pretty bad.

[Ty]

Chise! Nothing beats a living breathing cute little girl as a weapon.
i was also wondering if people viewed as weapons would fall in that category too. if so, then there's Lucy from Elfen Lied. but that may open the doors for Saber Marionette, 009-1, etc...

oh, and can't forget the ball-and-chain character from MAR.

and how about the guardians in Tenchi, Neo-ranga, etc?

If we're going down that route, then there's the Steel Angels from Steel Angel Kurumi

…and the hentai version in Arisa :>


Also can't forget V1046-R MAHORO :3
Good call. Gotta include her adorable sidekick Minawa too.

[Collectonian]

Tensaiga (sp?) from Inu Yasha showed at least some AI in its prompting Sesshomaru to use it for healing people or otherwise trying to give him a clue about things.

I can't remember if Tetsaiga showed a similar AI though.

Not sure if they fully count as weapons, but the Clow/Sakura cards from CCS were intelligent, self-aware, and sometimes made their own decisions (like trying to protect her from Yue)

[stfram]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Bogie, from The Third.

[Sensuifu]

the Gunslinger Girls

[One Vorlon]

There are a number of intelligent swords scattered throughout various series. Tokijin and So'unga from InuYasha both had their own agendas. Also any of the zanpakuto from Bleach would qualify.

And while it may not be a traditional sword, the eponymous weapon from Witchblade could easily be added to that list.

[2old2care]

The Ideon - to the horror of the entire universe ;)

[Buckeye]

The weapons in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha all talk and of course, the girl in Saikano is a weapon herself that brings about destruction.

[Ty]

the Gunslinger Girls

I dunno, I think this one stretches the definition a bit too far. The GS Girls are humans (well, mostly still) who happen to be good at using weapons, not weapons themselves.

[Isuzu Inugami]

Canal from Lost Universe, maybe. She's more of a sentient spaceship, but she's a fairly well-armed sentient spaceship.

[Sensuifu]

the Gunslinger Girls

I dunno, I think this one stretches the definition a bit too far. The GS Girls are humans (well, mostly still) who happen to be good at using weapons, not weapons themselves.

would that not also apply to Chise and all the other cyborg/android characters? Chise is human too, who happens to have been altered to obliterate towns just like Vash (Trigun).

[mandisaw]

All the Dragoons & Peacekeepers in Scrapped Princess had advanced AI's that evolved sentience over time (unless they had it to start with, not really sure on that point).

On the shoujo side, the Mashin from Rayearth were robotlike-spirits with intelligence and free will. Similarly, Youko's sword in Twelve Kingdoms had a (very broken) mind of its own.

And, it's a spoiler for Innocent Venus:
Phantom's robot suits are fused with the brains & souls of genetically modified children.

Does Melfina from Outlaw Star count? She's the ship's navcomp-android, and the ship has weapons... 'course the ship has its own AI, too.

[The Great Bear]

Canal from Lost Universe, maybe. She's more of a sentient spaceship, but she's a fairly well-armed sentient spaceship.

Well, if we're going to start talking about sentient space ships, then there is Bathyscaphe and Haruko from The World of Narue. Both are "retired" military space ships.

[HitokiriShadow]

the Gunslinger Girls

I dunno, I think this one stretches the definition a bit too far. The GS Girls are humans (well, mostly still) who happen to be good at using weapons, not weapons themselves.

would that not also apply to Chise and all the other cyborg/android characters? Chise is human too, who happens to have been altered to obliterate towns just like Vash (Trigun).

I agree with Ty that the Gunslinger Girls don't count. They have prosthetics, albeit really good ones, but otherwise they are humans. I only saw the first few episodes of Saikano, but I don't think Chise would count either. I think Vash is in a gray area. He's not human to begin with but he wasn't created to be a weapon either. In any case, cyborgs wouldn't count. Androids, on the other hand, would count since they are artificial life forms and were never human to begin with. So Mahoro, MIYU, and the like still count.

[Ty]

the Gunslinger Girls

I dunno, I think this one stretches the definition a bit too far. The GS Girls are humans (well, mostly still) who happen to be good at using weapons, not weapons themselves.

would that not also apply to Chise and all the other cyborg/android characters? Chise is human too, who happens to have been altered to obliterate towns just like Vash (Trigun).
I think we're kind of arbitrarily drawing a line, but to me Chise is clearly different because her body itself has become the weapon. The girls of GSG are normal human beings with enhanced physical abilities, but their weapons are just regular hand held guns like any normal person carries. That's a clear enough line to draw IMO.

[Sensuifu]

I agree with Ty that the Gunslinger Girls don't count. They have prosthetics, albeit really good ones, but otherwise they are humans. I only saw the first few episodes of Saikano, but I don't think Chise would count either.

you're right. Going by the OP's criteria, GS doesn't count, nor does Chise. They're fully organic and independent of AI. Despite being called the 'ultimate weapon' or 'weapons for assassination', they still don't fit what the OP was asking, which presumably meant 'non-human', unless there are exceptions.

[ADC]

So you're thinking more along the lines of the tank that was following Rio through the desert in Burn-up eXcess, then.

[Sensuifu]

So you're thinking more along the lines of the tank that was following Rio through the desert in Burn-up eXcess, then.

Can't remember that anime, only saw a little of it. I'm guessing the OP means something like the Ghost X-9/Sharon Apple from Macross Plus..something along those lines....

[Isuzu Inugami]

So you're thinking more along the lines of the tank that was following Rio through the desert in Burn-up eXcess, then.


That reminds me of the cat-possessed tank from Those Who Hunt Elves.

And personally I don't think cyborgs or androids ought to be considered, and am on the fence about my own suggestion of Canal....

[Njr Scrawl]

Created by, without being created from organic lifeforms was my original idea, although a deliberately transposed organic lifeform's persona into something completely different might count.

Um...so the tank in TWHE probably does not, as the tank becomes possessed (or "puss-essed" ^^). Motoko in GiTS would not count, she's not created, just enhanced. The terminator-like robot in ODP's Halloween story would count I guess. Sol Bianca (the ship) is borderline. Best live action would be Terminator(s), Zen (Blakes 7) & the Vorlon ships (Babylon 5). Daleks (Dr Who) are living creatures in tanks, so would not qualify - Cybermen might.

Smart weapons must be capable of adapting to different circumstances, through advanced programming, so must be able to "react" to the best of their capability & design. Interactive are the best of course. :)

[Vicserr]

Created by, without being created from organic lifeforms was my original idea, although a deliberately transposed organic lifeform's persona into something completely different might count.

Um...so the tank in TWHE probably does not, as the tank becomes possessed (or "puss-essed" ^^). Motoko in GiTS would not count, she's not created, just enhanced. The terminator-like robot in ODP's Halloween story would count I guess. Sol Bianca (the ship) is borderline. Best live action would be Terminator(s), Zen (Blakes 7) & the Vorlon ships (Babylon 5). Daleks (Dr Who) are living creatures in tanks, so would not qualify - Cybermen might.

Smart weapons must be capable of adapting to different circumstances, through advanced programming, so must be able to "react" to the best of their capability & design. Interactive are the best of course. :)



How about the M-66 from Black Magic M-66 (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/buried-treasure/2007-10-17)?

[tanahome]

was watching the last episode of Blood Trinity and realized that Father Thrace (sp?) the android would qualify.

[Chloe]

Canal from Lost Universe, maybe. She's more of a sentient spaceship, but she's a fairly well-armed sentient spaceship.

Well, if we're going to start talking about sentient space ships, then there is Bathyscaphe and Haruko from The World of Narue. Both are "retired" military space ships.

What about the Outlaw Star? That could qualify on one or possibly even two levels.

[Chloe]

Created by, without being created from organic lifeforms was my original idea, although a deliberately transposed organic lifeform's persona into something completely different might count.

Um...so the tank in TWHE probably does not, as the tank becomes possessed (or "puss-essed" ^^). Motoko in GiTS would not count, she's not created, just enhanced. The terminator-like robot in ODP's Halloween story would count I guess. Sol Bianca (the ship) is borderline. Best live action would be Terminator(s), Zen (Blakes 7) & the Vorlon ships (Babylon 5). Daleks (Dr Who) are living creatures in tanks, so would not qualify - Cybermen might.

Smart weapons must be capable of adapting to different circumstances, through advanced programming, so must be able to "react" to the best of their capability & design. Interactive are the best of course. :)



I'm not 100% sure it's what you are wanting, but there is a Hunter-killer type unit in A Wind Named Amnesia that might fit the bill as well.

[Njr Scrawl]

That would count, as would M-66 in Black Magic.

Also the Motoslave in BGC2040, though not the 2032 (OVA) version. Which reminds me, is Sylvie an android?

[jigoku panda]

This just comes from what I saw from an amv but the girls from elfen lied are smart weapons that use psychic powers I'm guesing it might be machine amplified.

The orb in gantz & ryooki from tenchi are smart machines just one kills aliens while the other is an alien.

Washu's "daughter" ryoko is either a machine or clone I can't remember.

[ADC]

Washu's "daughter" ryoko is either a machine or clone I can't remember.
She's a life-form created when Washû combined her own egg cell with MASU. Entirely biological.

[Seahawk]

Are we still counting androids to this list? 'Cause if so, then you'd also have the Marciano Sisters from Coyote Ragtime Show.

(Would KOS-MOS technically count since there's Xenosaga: The Animation?)

[Spirit Of The Stage]

That would count, as would M-66 in Black Magic.

Also the Motoslave in BGC2040, though not the 2032 (OVA) version. Which reminds me, is Sylvie an android?




No, but her younger brother Mackey is. With BGC in mind, the boomers themselves may qualify in some cases, and Galactia herself as well.

And what about the dolls in Rozen Maiden? Technically they're not living beings as well but have the capabilities to fight and act like humans after being wound up. Granted, they aren't used as weapons as such but certainly have the capability of battling.

[Peter_JR]

Ifurita, Kalia and the other Demon Gods from El Hazard.

[Shiroi Hane]

Donnershlag in Kiddy Grade or is he not intelligent I can't remember.
Donnerschlag, the La-Muse and certain other Guard Robots (Ganador for one IIRC, but definitely not Thor which was built after the laws regarding AIs were changed) had AIs.

[Shiroi Hane]

Sol Bianca (the ship) is borderline.
I was going to mention the Sol Bianca: in the original movies at least (cannot remember that much about The Legacy), Gi was capable of independant action.