| Model Number: MS-06R-1A | Pilot: Shin Matsunaga |
| Cost: 2000 Hp: 560 Transform: X Form Change: X | |
Essentially an upgraded version of the original Zaku II with increased armor and mobility, the Zaku II High Mobility Type proved to be popular among ace pilots who used it to great effect. Notable pilots included Char Aznable himself, the Black Tri-Stars, and Johnny Ridden. This notable unit belonged to Shin Matsunaga, who earned the moniker “White Wolf of Solomon” on account of his various exploits with it.
Ability Summary
| Ranged | Armament | Ammo | DMG | Notes |
| Main | Zaku Machine Gun | 70 | 12~142 | Staggers in 3 hits |
| Sub | Cracker Grenade | 2 | 40~ | The direction of the throw can be adjusted |
| Special Shooting | Zaku Bazooka | 4 | 99 | Summons an assist that fires missiles at the target |
| Special Melee | Zaku II Assist | 4 | 120 | Spawns two Zaku IIs by its side |
| Burst Attack | To the family name of Matsunaga! | _ | 279 (F)/ 261 (E & S) |
| Melee | Input | DMG | Notes |
| 5B | 5BBB | 168 | Average 3-stage melee combo |
| 8B | 8B | 90 | Bounces target on hit |
| 4/6B | 4/6BB | 124 | Slash-through on the second stage |
| 2B | 2B | 146 | |
| CC8B | CC8BB | 163 |
Cancel Routes:
A: AB, AC, BC
AB: AC
BC: A, AB, AC
Overview
Shin Matsunaga’s Zaku II is a general-purpose suit with a slight focus on ranged attacks. Unlike most other units, the Zaku II fields only physical weaponry and has no beam weapons of any kind. This MS has high damage potential and can rack up damage quickly when played well, but has poor mobility and self-defense. Hence, the Zaku II will need to rely on its partner to bring out its full potential.
Ability Details
Ranged Weapons
Main: Zaku Machine Gun
Fires 3 rounds with a single input, up to a maximum of 14 if held continuously. Its tracking is weaker than Blue Destiny’s machine gun and the projectile speed is relatively slow, but the general performance is still better than that of 1500-cost suits. Do note that the angle of fire is rather poor, so be careful not to accidentally enter a state of vernier while firing.
While the move’s muzzle correction is below average, the rounds stagger quickly, so using this as a self-defense tool against incoming enemies is a necessity. Furthermore, even though the machine gun itself has plenty of ammo, it only reloads on empty and has a long reload time of 6 seconds. Make sure you have other ranged options to fall back on before firing the last round.
Sub: Cracker Grenades
Throws 3 cracker grenades in a vertical line at the target. Reloads in 5 seconds on empty. The grenades explode on contact with any surface and incurs Flame Stun on hit. The range of the grenades is surprisingly long for a grenade type weapon due to their pattern. The direction of the thrown grenades can also be adjusted with directional input, giving you an opportunity to predict and “catch” targets moving in a lateral direction.
Special Shooting: Zaku Bazooka
Fires a bazooka round at the target. Reloads on empty. This has a large ammo count on top of a fast reload time of 4 seconds. However, the startup is fairly long and if you boost dash cancel too early, you might end up not firing anything at all. Do note that there is no damage correction when canceling into this, thus the damage potential of this tool is high.
As the machine gun’s stagger performance is good, you can get good damage from reading your opponents’ landings and punishing them with a simple A~AC combo. Canceling into this directly from BC can potentially net you a lot of damage, even out-damaging a regular Zunda from a higher cost unit at times.
Special Melee: Zaku II Assists
Summons 2 Zaku IIs on either flank that fire a bazooka round each. Has a 20-second reload time. The assists can be said to be Zaku II’s key feature as it has good damage potential. While this assist has plenty of ammo, it also has a long reload time. It’s good to always keep in mind that you can freefall from this assist by canceling into Main, thus further enhancing your general mobility. Furthermore, although this assist deals good damage, the down value is low. One thing to take note is that if you’re slow in canceling from this tool, you may end up missing the subsequent attack.
Melee Set
5BBB: Heat Hawk Combo > Kick
A three-stage melee ending with a kick that pushes the target away. Suitable as a finisher due to the distance the target is kicked away. Do note that Zaku II moves very little during the animation, hence the cut resistance is low. The startup speed of this melee is also slow, hence it is not feasible to use this as a combo starter in most cases.
8B: Helm Splitter
A helm splitter that bounces the target. While the reach of this melee is rather long, the rush and startup speed are both slow. This melee is not feasible in most cases, except in situations where you want to bounce the target. Do note that while the animation of the melee is fairly quick, Zaku II barely moves during its execution. Hence, it does not offer much cut resistance either.
4/6BB: Heat Hawk > Slash-through
Zaku II’s bread-and-butter melee when initiating a combo. This is a two-stage melee that ends with a slash-through. Its general performance is on par with most suits’ of its level. Its reach and wraparound are also similar to Gundam Mk-II’s, and its performance in close range is comparable to Freedom or Master, making it possible to win melee engagements against suits of a higher cost. While Zaku II doesn’t move much during its animation, the melee combo ends relatively quickly, thus its cut resistance is pretty good. However, this MS is still not able to win in engagements against dedicated melee suits, so do not get overconfident when using this move.
2B: Slash > Uppercut
A two-stage melee combo that has poor cut resistance. Its general performance is similar to 4/6B and it has good reach. However, this melee also offers no wraparound motion and is fairly slow, hence you can forego this move.
CC8BB: Slash-through > Shoulder Tackle
This melee has a slash-through with good reach and cut resistance. It offers good damage for how quick it is. Since the target is blown away, this is a good melee finisher as it puts extra distance between you and the target. However, this also makes it difficult to follow up. While this is ideally best used as a finisher rather than a starter, it is advisable to commit to this move if you intend to use it for its reach.
Burst Attack
Heat Hawk Combo
Strikes the target with a flurry of punches and kicks. This has good reach, does respectable damage, has a short animation, and offers good cut resistance. Do not hesitate to use this if the opportunity presents itself.
Strategies
- The High Mobility Zaku II’s key strengths lie in its Machine Gun which staggers in three hits and has a plethora of cancel routes it has at its disposal. When utilized properly, the Zaku II can dish out a consistent burst of high damage at its target.
- The Zaku II, however, is also somewhat of a glass cannon, and has poor mobility and few options for self-defense. If caught off-guard, the Zaku II has little chance of escaping from a melee attack.
- An all-physical loadout means that any ranged projectile can be easily nullified by a single Beam Rifle shot. It may be difficult to get a hit on your target if everything you throw at it is easily erased.
- Due to its unique loadout, the mediocre melee performance of the Zaku II does not gain any significant advantages from any Burst Option. As it already has a large number of cancel routes, the Zaku II does not gain many new cancel routes by using Shooting Burst. While F Burst isn’t a bad choice, you also won’t be making big plays with it due to the mediocre melee performance. Lastly, E Burst is a safe and easy pick, but it does not offer much in terms of a buff.
- The reload timings for most of its ranged weapons are slow, so ammo management is crucial when using this suit. The haphazard firing of your weapon will only hurt you in the long run, so only fire when you’re confident that you will hit the target.
- An exception to the long reload times is the bazooka, so it is advisable to utilize the A~AC cancel route in order to minimize your machine gun ammo usage.