Murasame Liger

The Murasame Liger (ムラサメライガー) is a liger type Zoid, a race of mechanical lifeforms from the fictional Zoids universe. The Murasame Liger is the main 'hero' Zoid of the fifth anime series, Zoids: Genesis.

Overview
The Murasame Liger is a Liger type Zoid, unique to the Zoids: Genesis fictional universe.

The Zoid's main weapon, and most distinctive feature, is the Murasame Sword, a large blade mounted to a collar on the waist of the Zoid. The blade is mounted on a swivelling arm, which allows the blade to cover a 300 arc, while being able to swing through ninety degrees from the top of the Zoid to the left side. The sword has the characters '村雨' (pronounced murasame, meaning passing rain) engraved on it. The weapon is made from Metal Zi, an incredibly strong ancient metal.

The Murasame Liger is fast and agile, its overall performance comparable to the Liger Zero. To further enhance its performance, the Zoid is equipped with a pair of piledrivers on its legs that allow it to make sudden high-speed turns.

Alternate Forms
In addition to its standard form, the Murasame Liger possesses two additional forms, named Hayate and Mugen:


 * The red Hayate Liger form loses the Murasame Sword from its back, gaining in its place the Murasame Knife and Murasame Divider (formed from the original blade, and located on the Zoid's forelegs), along with a powerful booster array. The boosters increase the speed of the Zoid to over 400 km/h.
 * The white Mugen Liger form is significantly heavier than the other two forms, with a corresponding loss in maximum speed. The Murasame Sword is again lost, but is replaced by two large blades that are crossed across the Zoid's back when stored.

Battle Story
The Murasame Liger is an ancient Zoid, created during the "Ancient Era" before the "Age of Technology". The Murasame Liger was one of their greatest achievements, able to transform into more powerful forms. This ability was sealed away inside the Zoid's core, and can only be released by a skilled pilot.

The Ancient Civilization vanished, their Zoids forgotten until after the Great Cataclysm that all but destroyed the world, when the Murasame Liger was recovered, and revived.

In the battle story, it is not clear if the Murasame Liger is a specific, unique Zoid or just a Zoid type.

Anime
The Murasame Liger and its alternate forms are unique to the Zoids: Genesis anime.

The Murasame Liger was discovered by Ruuji and a team of underwater salvagers in a bay near the Mirodo village. Initially unpilotable by anyone in the Mirodo village, the Liger activated when Ruuji entered the cockpit during a Bio Zoid attack on the village. During this activation, the name "Murasame Liger" was coined by Ruuji, since he was the first to pilot the Zoid. This differs slightly from Zoids: Chaotic Century where Dr D. named the Blade Liger, despite never piloting it. Ruuji set out after the attack, searching for a mechanic to fix the village's generator, which was damaged in the attack.

The primary weapon of the Murasame Liger, the Murasame Sword, is a relic worshipped by the Mirodo villagers. It was revealed during the attack that the weapon belong to the Liger, and is made of a rare material called Metal-Zi, the only substance truly effective against the Hell Armour of the Bio-Zoids.

The bond between Ruuji and the Murasame Liger is strong, and it is through Ruuji's emotions that the alternate forms of the Murasame Liger are awakened. When Ruuji or one of his companions is in mortal danger, the Zoid will evolt into the fast Hayate Liger and, later the powerful Mugen Liger. Evolt is a reconstructive process where the Murasame Liger temporary evolves. The Zoid also has a powerful ability to regenerate.