ASW-G-08 Gundam Barbatos Lupus is the rebuilt Barbatos that carries the first half of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans season two (2016–2017, Post Disaster 325), with Mikazuki Augus piloting for Tekkadan. The suit came back damaged past what Tekkadan could repair and went to the MS Workshop on Saisei, Teiwaz's home base, for an overhaul.
What it does in the story
It first deploys defending a half-metal mine run by Kudelia Aina Bernstein's Admoss Company, fighting beside Tekkadan's Shidens against the Dawn Horizon Corps' Garm Rodis, then shuts down from the shock of its own hard landing. In the space battle that follows it destroys several Garm Rodis and beats the corps leader Sandoval Reuters' Hugo. The fight with the Calamity War mobile armour Hashmal leaves it beyond field repair.
What makes it different
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The rebuild followed the pilot's data, not the manual.
Saisei rebuilt the suit as a close-combat machine from Mikazuki's combat data, raising reaction speed and tuning the Gundam Frame's response rate to the speed he senses through the Alaya-Vijnana. The arms were lengthened to match his senses, and Teiwaz-made joint parts replaced the accumulated damage.
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The Alaya-Vijnana cable was lengthened on purpose.
It now extends out of the cockpit, because Mikazuki had lost the use of his right arm and eye and could regain them by connecting to the machine.
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The waist thrusters were his own request.
A pair of waist thrusters capable of instantaneous bursts was added at Mikazuki's asking, based on the boosters the Barbatos carried in its 6th Form. How much propellant they held was left wanting, and he was not troubled by it.
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The armour is shaped to survive the approach.
For a close-combat suit the damage taken before reaching the enemy is the problem, so the Lupus wears light armour with more curved surface to fend off fire. Handheld guns were cut to a minimum in favour of a forearm 200mm gun on a recoil-absorbing rail slide, with a 20mm machine gun in its sensor section.
How big is it?
- Overall height: 19.0 m according to Bandai's official spec, with an empty weight of 31.2 t
- 1/144: roughly 13 cm, which covers the HG Iron-Blooded Orphans kits
- 1/100: roughly 19 cm, which covers the Master Grade release
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Frequently asked questions
1. Is the Lupus a new mobile suit or the same Barbatos?
It is the same Gundam Frame after a full overhaul at Saisei, rebuilt from Mikazuki's combat data rather than replaced. Bandai still treats it as its own machine, with its own manuals and kits.
2. Why are the Lupus's arms longer than the original Barbatos's?
They were lengthened to match Mikazuki's senses, since the suit was tuned to what he felt through the Alaya-Vijnana. Joint parts were also replaced with Teiwaz reproductions, restoring movement lost to damage.
3. What is the Sword-Mace?
A heavy close-combat weapon built by Teiwaz's technicians for this suit, shaped and weighted so it would not hamper mobility. Despite the name it chops rather than slices, and it stows on the back.
4. Which weapon did it borrow from another mobile suit?
The Valkyrja Buster Sword, taken from the Helmwige Reincar during the battle with Hashmal. It is longer than the suit itself and was designed for use against mobile armours.
Background sources: ASW-G-08 Gundam Barbatos Lupus — Gundam Wiki · ガンダムシリーズの登場機動兵器一覧（第1期）— 日本語版 Wikipedia
