(ramonzer0)

“We make war so that we may live in peace.”

- Aristotle

Millennia ago, the first wars were fought to resolve conflicts where diplomacy had failed, and despite its brutal nature, entire nations have relied on it to such an extent that they have improved on how they went about it, up to and including the development of newer and more powerful weapons directed towards continuing their crusades with. Whereas the earliest battles in world history were conducted with sticks and stones, combat had evolved to make way for swords, firearms and in the case of certain branches of fiction, gigantic humanoid machines armed with an army’s worth of futuristic firepower and more. That last idea forms the backbone of the mecha genre, which arguably owes its lifeblood to two specific series: Transformers and Gundam.

While the former details the civil war fought between opposing factions from a race of shape-shifting alien robots through the multiverse, and the latter covers the torn timelines and countless conflicts born as a result of mankind’s expansions to the reaches of outer space, their massive influence over the hundreds of franchises inspired by their work in both the East and the West have caused their legacies to be intertwined in spite of their differences, resulting in many a comparison made between them. Thus, it seems only natural and rather fitting that their first generation figureheads should engage in combat opposite each other to settle their score in - with all due respect to Megazord vs. Voltron - the true ultimate giant robot fight to the death.

Optimus Prime, Supreme Commander of the Autobots. The RX-78-2 Gundam, White Devil of the Earth Federation. These two iconic, freedom-fighting titans of technology have waged war to keep the peace in their respective worlds since their creations and have continued to fight so they may uphold it at any cost; to their allies, they are unwavering bastions of justice - to their foes, they are unstoppable winds of destruction. When their mettle and metal are tested against one another for the 98th episode of Death Battle, will Amuro Ray - the legendary Shooting Star - be able to prove that the tenacity and valor he and his Gundam have isn’t for show, or shall the last of the Primes establish that his unrivaled wisdom and power are truly more than meets the eye?

A Heads Up From Ya Bois

It’s been a while since Transformers or Gundam have shown up in Death Battle - Starscream and the Gundam Epyon being the first and only representatives of either series dating back to the first two seasons of the show, so we want to give a refresher on both and how we’ll be conducting our analysis based on what’s likely to show up in the episode proper. The main gist is that both sides have multiverses which all adhere to their own respective rules and levels of power, akin to how Marvel and DC conduct theirs; just like episodes with those characters, we're zeroing in on specific universes and continuities for each combatant.

In the Transformers multiverse, each of the universes or “universal streams” are given designations based on a “cluster” which in turn is based on their predominant continuity family. For example, the Aurex cluster depicts the events of the Unicron trilogy, Malgus refers to the 2007 Cartoon Network show and Tyran focuses on the live-action films directed by Michael Bay. As Optimus has been explicitly identified by Death Battle as his Generation 1 incarnation much like what was done with Starscream, we’ll be primarily focusing on that continuity’s cluster: Primax.

With a lot to cover through, we’ve chosen to limit ourselves to the select few major streams that will likely be seen in the episode proper. For the most part, this includes the original 1980s cartoon - both its American and Japanese versions, the theatrical movie based on it, the comics published by Marvel, Dreamwave and IDW, the Prime Wars trilogy on Machinima, the Devastation video game and the two Cybertron games developed by High Moon Studios.

(That last bit can be iffy for fans who are aware of how the canons work, but we can elaborate on that. War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron are primarily associated with the Uniend cluster which covers the Transformers Prime continuity instead of G1, but "Ask Vector Prime" - an official Hasbro column that clarifies details regarding the larger Transformers canon - has revealed that both games have two designations which put them in the Primax cluster and thus make them part of the G1 continuity while remaining canonical to Prime and the Uniend cluster. If you’re wondering why that is, Vector Prime would probably advise you to not think about it too much, so we’re doing just that.)

As with Transformers, Gundam has a large multiverse which encompasses several timelines pertaining to each manga or anime. To once again provide examples, we have the Future Century of G Gundam, the After Colony timeline from Wing - Epyon's home canon, the Anno Domini timeline from Gundam 00, the Cosmic Era of SEED, and the Port Disaster Era of Iron-Blooded Orphans. With the RX-78-2 and Amuro Ray being our main focus, we’ll be limiting our research to within its timeline: the Universal Century.

This is the primary Gundam canon that includes the original Mobile Suit Gundam anime and its many subsequent follow-ups, such as Zeta Gundam, Gundam ZZ, Char’s Counterattack, Unicorn, Narrative and more. Even then, we’ll be giving a particular emphasis on the points in time where both the RX-78-2 and Amuro were active; the original anime and additional background information from the Origin retelling will provide the majority of the Gundam’s feats as that remains its only canonical appearance thus far, while we’ll be allowing Amuro access to feats some he’s accomplished past that while piloting other Mobile Suits.

Background

Optimus Prime

“Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.”

Many millions of years ago, on the planet Cybertron: life existed, but not life as we know it today. Intelligent robots that could think and feel inhabited the cities. They were called Autobots and Decepticons, but the brutal Decepticons were driven by a single goal: total domination. They set out to destroy the peace-loving Autobots, and a war between good and evil raged across Cybertron, devastating all in its path and draining the planet’s once-rich sources of energy. On the verge of extinction, the Autobots battled valiantly to survive, and while they had many capable warriors, such as the mighty Ironhide or the energetic Bumblebee, few could match the dedication to their cause possessed by their awe-inspiring leader, Optimus Prime.

Once known as a low-level dock worker from the city of Iacon named Orion Pax, Optimus was rebuilt into the chosen leader of the Autobots and bravely led his comrades against the growing might of his nemesis: the Decepticon overlord, Megatron. However, millions of years spent in a seemingly never-ending conflict took a toll on Cybertron, reducing it to a husk of its former self. In search of a means to repair their damaged world, he and several Autobots embarked on an interplanetary expedition to scavenge for sources of energy. However, they were hounded by a Decepticon strike force led by Megatron upon their departure; the ensuing skirmish resulted in both sides crash landing on prehistoric Earth, rendering them in stasis until their reawakening in the modern day.

With their conflict now spilling over to yet another planet, the Autobots devoted themselves to fighting for Earth’s defense in atonement for involving humanity in their struggles while upholding their commitments to healing Cybertron, running in opposition to Megatron’s plans to ravage the Earth of its resources, regardless of who would pay the price in the process. Armed not only with the power, arsenal and skills needed to do battle against any threat but a strong and unwavering moral compass dedicated towards doing what he believes to be the right thing, Optimus has made it his mission to continue fighting for the freedom he believed all sentient beings should have, even if it meant constantly putting his life on the line to do so.

RX-78-2 Gundam

"There's nothing that human wisdom can't overcome."

- Amuro Ray

It is the year 0079 of the Universal Century. A half-century has passed since Earth began moving its burgeoning population into gigantic orbiting space colonies - a new home for mankind, where people are born, raised and die. Nine months ago, the cluster of colonies furthest from the Earth, called Side 3, proclaimed itself the Principality of Zeon and launched a war of independence against the Earth Federation. Initial fighting lasted over one month and saw both sides lose half their respective populations. People were horrified by the indescribable atrocities that had been committed in the name of independence, mainly accomplished by Zeon’s use of the advanced and massive humanoid combat vehicles called Mobile Suits.

When the war entered a stalemate after 8 months of fighting, the Federation began plans for “Project V”, a development program formed with the intent to produce a Mobile Suit design that can be manufactured en masse to counter the Zeon advance. This lead to the creation of the RX-78 series of “Gundams”, prototype Mobile Suits said to be much more advanced than any other model that came before it. Before they can be field-tested, their holding facility in the Side 7 colony is razed by a Zeon platoon during their attempt to ambush a massive Federation flagship called the White Base. In the ensuing pandemonium, the RX-78-2 unit is discovered by a civilian boy named Amuro Ray, who proceeded to successfully operate it in defense of his home.

Despite having never fought or piloted a Mobile Suit in his life prior to that day, Amuro’s inborn nature as a genetically advanced human being called a Newtype allowed him to commandeer the Gundam with the skill level of a heavily-experienced pilot that belied his once-innocent nature. It was such a display which caused the Federation to reluctantly recruit him into their ranks to defend the colony survivors aboard the White Base with the Gundam. In time, Amuro evolved from being a shy and mischievous mechanic who only cared about his own survival into the battle-tested war hero he was destined to be as he and the RX-78-2 became collectively known as the Federation’s feared “White Devil” for their continued exploits against Zeon’s might.

Abilities

Optimus Prime

Cybertronian Physiology - Overview

Like his allies and enemies, Optimus is a native of the planet Cybertron: a Transformer. Alternatively referred to as Cybertronians, they are a race of shapeshifting alien robots said to be created by Primus, a deity whose body makes up the core of Cybertron itself. Despite being purely mechanical beings, they are as sentient and alive as any other living being can be. Their colloquial name is a reference to their signature ability - one which allows them to scan nearly anything and transform into it. While they normally appear as humanoid robots about the size of a small building, their alternate forms allow them to take on the appearances of weapons, vehicles, animals and more, complete with whatever benefits such transformations can provide.

A Cybertronian’s ability to transform is tied to several features within their biology. The first is a transforming cog embedded in their minds, which gives them the mental capacity to activate their transformations consciously alongside their brain module. The second is the “living metal” that comprises their bodies, said to be made of the same substance that makes up Cybertron and by extension, Primus himself. Beneath their highly durable exteriors lies a Spark, their lifeforce and equivalent of a soul. While Cybertronians are capable of withstanding large amounts of damage directed at their body, they can only be considered truly dead if anything were to directly impact their Sparks or otherwise compromise their brain modules.

For the most part, Cybertronians do not rely on breathing air or eating food to replenish themselves. They mainly subsist off Energon, a versatile energy source said to be the building blocks of their very bodies and Sparks and is more or less their own equivalent of food, electricity, blood, fuel, power, and in most cases, a currency for trading and ammunition for specific types of weapons. Almost any material can be processed and converted into Energon with the proper equipment, although its raw form is volatile and unstable; trying to handle it in such a state is dangerous as a stray impact is enough for it to violently explode.

Transformations and Modules

Optimus’ main transformation in almost every Transformers continuity is a Freightliner Cab-over-engine Class 8 semi-truck, which serves as his main form of disguise when not in active combat. Such a vehicle fits his physique quite well; according to the US Department of Transportation, those within the Class 8 group can carry weights exceeding 33,000 lbs - this includes the vehicle’s own weight and those of its passengers and cargo.

While transformed, Optimus can reach speeds up to 175 mph and is still as immensely durable as his normal form. He is more than willing to ram into his foes or swing his trailer as a melee attack and can traverse through large bodies of water thanks to thrusters and other adaptations. Transformations between his truck and robot forms are a matter of mere seconds, allowing Prime to switch his tactics on the fly and adapt to the current situation at hand.

In his robot form, Optimus is technically split up into three modules which he is mentally linked to. The Optimus Module is his actual body and the most important one out of the three; while damage to any of them is felt either way, the survival of the other two is highly dependant on the Optimus Module’s own whereas it can function without them. The Prime Module takes the form of a small remote-controlled vehicle called Roller that he can use to scout out distant locations. Lastly, the Combat Deck hidden inside his vehicle form’s trailer contains emergency supplies, weapons and an antenna that boosts his communications with other Autobots.

Point One Percenter Spark

In the IDW comics, Point One Percenters are Transformers who are forged with a very rare green-colored Spark created once in a generation that is said to grant them heightened levels of power in comparison to other members of their kind. Some of the notable figures with such a Spark who have fought in the War for Cybertron and beyond include Megatron, Scorponok, Shockwave, Fortress Maximus, Grimlock and obviously, Optimus Prime himself, whose status as the Autobots’ leader only further enhances the benefits he gains from his Spark.

Optimus’ Spark grants him superior strength, speed, and durability over many non-One Percenters. Compared to many of his comrades, he is a literal one-man army who can take on waves of enemy forces single-handedly, routinely dodge actual laser fire, withstand mortal blows and overpower giant Combiners with nothing but brute force. The Spark is also likely the reason behind some of the more unusual powers Prime has in store, although this has yet to be officially confirmed by any source in-universe or outside of it. These include limited flight capabilities even without using the thrusters built into his legs, pure Energon blasts which he can emit from his hands and the ability to telepathically control disassembled parts of his body.

RX-78-2 Gundam

Mobile Suit Composition - Overview

Within the Gundam multiverse, the term “Mobile Suit” refers to bipedal combat platforms which are deployed specifically for military use, akin to how modern-day military-grade vehicles like tanks, destroyers or helicopters are used in real life. While the exact specifications of such a weapon depend on the timeline, the majority of Mobile Suits are often equipped with propulsion systems embedded in their legs for flight and space travel, an arsenal encompassing weapons for both close-quarters and ranged combat, a camera embedded in the head along with a sub-weapon installed in it, and cockpits usually located inside the chest area. On average, a Mobile Suit is about 60 ft. tall, although again, these specifications vary on the model.

In the Universal Century timeline, the creation of Mobile Suits can be traced back to two major scientific breakthroughs. The first is Active Mass Balance Auto-Control (AMBAC), a technology which has its basis in Sir Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion: “For every action, there must be an equal and opposite reaction.” For a very quick summary, AMBAC allows a pilot and its Mobile Suit to make quick and precise movements while in the vacuum of space and without the use of their thrusters by using the Third Law and their unit’s inertia to force a change in direction. This is akin to the reaction wheels real-world satellites use to control their altitude while in orbit or how astronauts operate vehicles, albeit to a more complex degree given the subject matter.

The second is the Minovsky Particle, which was accidentally found by Dr. Trenov Y. Minovsky in his attempt to create a nuclear fission reactor. Since its discovery in U.C. 0065, it has since been harnessed to power almost every piece of technology to ever exist since. At its core, they can disrupt sources of low-frequency radiation and electricity in addition to nullifying the use of long-range communications and precision-guided weapons, unless they were protected by an expensive and very specific form of shielding. When scattered, the forces between charged particles create a lattice called an I-field; through compression, these result in the creation of destructive particle beams which form the basis of almost every weapon a Mobile Suit wields.

The Minovsky Particle was responsible for rewriting the rules of combat with its implementation into Mobile Suits. To harness them required the use of Helium-3, which was more abundant in outer space than on Earth; hence, this factored into the rapid rise of colonies and expansion to further fall back on such a resource and eventually making it the standard for all forms of technology. Because of the Minovsky Particle’s unique properties, it provided the basis for the large focus on close-quarters combat, space-based warfare and weapons like swords, maces and close-ranged particle beams for Mobile Suits, as the particles had shut down most opportunities to use ranged weapons save for ones it had directly powered.

Experimental Upgrades

The brainchild of scientist Tem Ray and other Federation scientists, the RX-78 prototypes were made to be much more technologically advanced than any other Mobile Suit model that existed at the time, and it shows with many of its unique features and armaments. For one, it was equipped with a prototype Core Block System that allows any of its pilots to operate the various weapon modules attached to the Gundam through a sole Core module. These smaller ships essentially serve as cockpits for their Mobile Suits which are docked in hollow spaces located inside the chest area. If ever the Suits were sufficiently damaged enough, they could be used to help their pilots escape and preserve any combat data stored within their hard drives.

Speaking of which, the Gundam also contains an advanced Learning Computer System which not only collected data from skirmishes but analyzed it to further improve the machine’s performance and essentially function by itself via autopilot, even if its pilot were a total novice. This was conceived to act as a way for the Federation to avoid the long and drawn-out training routines for newer pilots and have the units be combat-ready as early as possible. Technician Mosque Han later upgraded its systems before the Battle of A Baoa Qu to further increase its reaction times; this was accomplished with the aid of a special magnetic coating on its limb joints that allowed it to keep pace with Amuro’s increasingly faster reflexes.

The Gundam itself stands at 18.5 meters, can travel up to 102 mph and weighs around 60 tons, making it lighter than most mass-produced Mobile Suits that are roughly 10 tons heavier. This is due to the alloy which comprises its body: Luna Titanium, a lightweight off-shoot of Titanium that remains immensely durable in its own right. While hard to properly maintain and repair, its benefits became clear when the Gundam was regularly deployed in combat. Heavy machine gun fire can barely dent it and even particle laser weapons fail to put it down for good unless hit by a sustained assault. The Suit also contains a specialized heat-resistant film and coolant system which helps it survive atmospheric re-entry.

All these combined with its weapons made it one of the deadliest war machines used throughout the Universal Century, even as Amuro’s powers were far too much for it to handle reliably. Most of the upgrades given to the RX-78-2 were later applied to the other mass-produced RX-line Mobile Suits, making the Gundam name well-known by individuals from Earth and Zeon alike.

Pilot - Amuro Ray

The son of the head researcher behind Project V, Amuro Ray’s humble beginnings as a nerdy and mischievous mechanic soon gave way for him to become arguably one of the greatest Mobile Suit pilots in the entire Universal Century. His first taste of action came when he inexplicably mastered the use of the RX-78-2 Gundam in mere seconds, and since then he had successfully run multiple missions in it and other Mobile Suits long before being “supposedly” killed-in-action during the events of the Char’s Counterattack movie. This is due to Amuro’s nature as a Newtype, a newly-evolved human being hypothesized to be the result of mankind’s migration into space and the resulting need to evolve in the process.

Most of the higher tier pilots within the U.C. timeline - including the likes of Kamille Bidan, Judau Ashta, Char Aznable, Banagher Links and Amuro himself - are all Newtypes, and their exemplary performances in combat are often attributed to their enhanced levels of spatial awareness and focus. Much of these are implied or, in most cases, outright shown to be some form of psychokinesis, which they can inexplicably pass on to their Mobile Suits, like Kamile’s ability to power the Zeta Gundam with the memories of his deceased allies. The concept of advanced humans piloting Gundams was also reused for other shows in the Gundam multiverse, such as the Coordinators in Gundam SEED and the Innovators in Gundam 00.

On the whole, Newtypes have an uncanny ability to take in knowledge at a faster rate, can detect and telepathically communicate with other Newtypes, and sense an enemy’s hostile intentions, allowing them to counter or evade any incoming attacks before they are acted out; coupled with their near-inhuman reaction times, this makes them and their Mobile Suits tough to consistently hit reliably for any normal pilot. Due to their skills in battle, they often need modified and fine-tuned Mobile Suits in order to maximize their fighting capabilities. The RX-78-2 actually suffered from this the more Amuro had gotten used to fighting as a Newtype, which led to the development of more advanced successor units that can meet his standards.

Communications Support - Sayla Mass

Born Artesia Som Deikun, Sayla Mass is a medical student from Side 7 who works alongside Amuro onboard the White Base. As it is understaffed, she too is forcibly enlisted into the Earth Federation’s ranks and becomes the ship’s Communications Officer underneath acting Captain Bright Noa. Unbeknownst to most of those who know her, she is actually the daughter of Zeon Zum Deikun, the original founder of the Republic of Zeon before its militant shift, and the sister of Casval Rem Deikun - the secret identity of Char Aznable himself; both were forcibly separated from each other after their father’s death, causing their destinies to heavily diverge.

Originally, she provided comms support for Amuro from within the White Base, pointing out strategies and enemy weaknesses for him to exploit in the heat of battle. Eventually, she became a respected Mobile Suit pilot in her own right by awakening to her own Newtype abilities, resulting in her not just improving as an analyst but also being deployed for field missions and even successfully piloting the RX-78-2 herself several times. If need be, she can directly support Amuro by piloting the G-Fighter, which can fuse directly with the Gundam to combine their mobility and weaponry together.

Equipment Load-Out

Optimus Prime

Ion Blaster

Optimus’ trusted laser rifle and his main weapon of choice during battle, the Ion Blaster fires bursts of plasma, capable of incapacitating Decepticons or destroying large stone boulders in a few quick shots. This weapon is also immensely versatile, as it can switch between multiple firing configurations; these include fully-automatic fire akin to a sub-machine gun, powerful single shots akin to a revolver and even miniaturized bolts of Energon that explode like grenades. When not in use, the blaster is hidden in his body, ready to be called at any time.

Despite this being his primary firearm, Optimus’ combat training has allowed him to wield other ranged weapon types, ranging from shotguns to machine guns, sniper rifles, EMP grenades, rocket launchers and mounted weapon emplacements. On the battlefield, he can store the images of most weapons he comes across in his memory, which he can then switch to and from for any situation he finds himself in. While his various gaming appearances show that his firearms do have limited ammo, this is less of a problem in other G1 media where such an issue is rarely brought up, likely due to his trailer often having a backup supply on hand for emergencies.

Energon Axe

Optimus has extensive training with hand-to-hand combat and all sorts of melee weapon types, ranging from warhammers to swords, gauntlets and maces, and has no qualms using the environment if he absolutely has to for makeshift weapons. However, the one armament that can even be remotely considered to be his signature weapon is his trusted Energon Axe, a blade made of pure Energon which can be reconfigured into other weapon types.

It’s worth noting that Optimus has only used this axe in one episode of The Transformers, but it has also been present as his primary weapon in other media. For example, Transformers: Devastation has him not only start with this by default but classifies similar axes as weapons only he can wield, War for Cybertron has him use a two-handed mechanical variant with a blade made of solidified and crystallized Energon for melee attacks and the live-action film version wields two smaller axe/sword hybrids which retract into his hands.

Power Master

In the Marvel G1 comics, there exists a process called “binary bonding”, where a Transformer is fused with a smaller organic being that has been artificially augmented with the ability to turn into a weapon or power source to help their larger partner. The Powermasters are one such example, whereupon a Transformer’s physical stats are boosted further with their bonds to a Nebulan, a humanoid alien belonging to a planet whose peace was interrupted by the ongoing civil war between the Autobots and the Decepticons.

Optimus became a Powermaster when the Autobots searched for a new way to rebuild his body. Hi-Q, a Nebulan scientist who was responsible for creating the Powermaster bonding process, sought a way to counter the rising threat of the Decepticon Powermasters and so willingly bonded himself to Prime in order to do so. Though this procedure, Optimus can call upon Hi-Q for bursts of increased power and speed for short periods of time, albeit at the cost of being unable to turn into a vehicle without his partner’s presence.

A drawback to the Powermaster procedure is that the Nebulans have very high metabolisms, and must constantly ingest large quantities of food and water to sustain themselves lest they starve to death. In addition, Nebulans who remain fused for longer periods of time with their Transformer partners become absorbed into them; Hi-Q himself physically and mentally turned into a part of Optimus until nothing remained of his initial self.

We do want to note that this is only one out of the many different upgraded forms that Optimus has assumed over the past 30+ years. Loads of Transformers media, especially those from the Japanese continuity, have given him lots more like his Sky Convoy form, but much of these have relied on too many outside circumstances for them to be considered reliable in a Death Battle setting. While the same could be said for the Powermaster, we at least want to highlight this due to being the first and most notable transformation Optimus has acquired.

Matrix of Leadership

As his name implies, Optimus holds the rank of Prime, designating him as the leader of the Autobots. This position is derived from - once again - Primus himself as attributed by the original 13 Transformers he had created. To serve as physical proof of their status, each Prime was entrusted with the Matrix of Leadership, a talisman which contains a portion of Primus’ spark. This trinket grants its user the wisdom and experience of the Primes, as well as a built-in counter to any source of evil, regardless of however strong it may be.

Optimus keeps the Matrix on his chassis at all times, and while it does allow him to harness its powers in combat, he often holds back in the event he can cause unwanted collateral damage. He was notably separated from it during the events of the Transformers movie, whereupon he passed it on to Hot Rod before dying, but he reclaimed it in short fashion after being resurrected when the newly-dubbed Rodimus Prime was infected by the Hate Plague. In most instances similar to these, the Matrix cannot be taken away by force nor can it be destroyed by any conventional means, as it is usually passed on to another Autobot worthy of being called a Prime in the event the bearer is compromised in some fashion.

At its core, the Matrix can increase the strength of its bearer to immense levels, allowing them to take on almost any threat they face single-handedly, up to and including universal-level threats such as the planet-eating Unicron. It also connects them to the Cybertronian afterlife, allowing them to commune with previous Primes or even resurrect fallen Transformers. In an even more absurd take on its abilities, the Matrix also grants the bearer the knowledge of almost any form of technology to ever exist as well as the ability to remotely control them. It has also acted as a healing factor of sorts by repairing grievous amounts of damage sustained by its bearer and has even been responsible for straight up resurrecting Optimus at one point in the Japanese continuity.

RX-78-2 Gundam

Beam Saber / Javelin

The RX-78-2 Gundam is the first Mobile Suit within the U.C. era to utilize a beam-based melee weapon. In this case, it takes the form of its dual Beam Sabers. The sabers’ plasma blades are made of Minovsky Particles held in place by an I-field which can cut through almost any material. Those particles are formed from an energy capacitor (E-Cap) located within the hilt and are recharged while it is sheathed in a storage unit located near the Gundam’s reactor. Amuro mainly fights with one Saber active in tandem with the Gundam’s shield, although he is proficient enough in dual-wielding both if needed. The Beam Saber can also be reformatted to form the Beam Javelin, which increases the weapon’s length to make it more akin to a pole arm.

60mm Vulcan Guns

Mounted on top of the RX-78-2’s head is a pair of 60mm gatling guns, which are meant to primarily ward off smaller targets and take on enemy aircraft and on-foot infantry while preserving the more limited and stronger ammunition of its other weapons. Although the guns have a high rate-of-fire, its rounds are ineffective against ordinary Mobile Suits and other heavily armored targets unless the weapons are shot from point-blank range.

Hyper Hammer

Contrary to what the name implies, the Gundam Hammer is not a warhammer or anything of the sort, but rather a ball-and-chain flail weapon which has a slightly longer reach than the Beam Saber and specializes in dealing blunt-force damage through the mass of the spiked ball. It was later upgraded to the Hyper Hammer, with several rockets mounted onto the ball to increase the damage it can produce and the amount of control the Gundam has over it in space.

BAUVA*XBR-M-79-07G Beam Rifle

This experimental firearm serves as the Gundam’s primary weapon and is hailed for being groundbreaking for its time thanks to its implementation of E-cap technology. It makes use of charges made of Minovsky Particles as ammunition; when fired, these can penetrate enemy armor and destroy objects on a molecular scale. At best, each of these blasts can destroy entire warships in a single shot. While a fearsome weapon on par with those wielded by larger Mobile Armors, the Beam Rifle can only be fired 16 times before being emptied. Trying to refill those charges in the middle of a battle can be difficult, as they can only be recharged by equipment located in a nearby base of operations.

BLASH*XHB-L-03/N-STD Hyper Bazooka

The most powerful weapon in the RX-78-2’s arsenal, the Hyper Bazooka fires 380mm rockets which yield a payload of 40 kilotons to attack heavily armored targets and can easily one-shot mass-produced Mobile Suits. While destructive, its rate of fire and reloading speeds are slower than that of the Beam Rifle’s and its ammo capacity is even more limited to boot.

RX*M-Sh-008/S-01025 Shield

This simple shield serves as the RX-78-2’s primary line of defense against any attack, whether ranged or physical. As per its design, it is mostly wielded in conjunction with a Beam Saber in close-quarters combat, although it can also be stored on the Gundam’s back when not in use. Most have described it as being sturdier than the Luna Titanium which comprises the Gundam's body, allowing it to reliably take attacks which could possibly damage it.

G-Fighter

The G-Fighter is versatile support vehicle that assists the RX-78-2 on the field, either by directly participating in combat with its beam cannon and missile launcher or scouting locations ahead of the Gundam for reconnaissance purposes. It is comprised of two halves: G-Parts A - the cockpit, weapons systems and treads for ground transport and G-Parts B - the four-engine fuselage. Two of these have been deployed to help Amuro over the course of Mobile Suit Gundam, with Sayla having piloted one of them.

It can also combine with the RX-78-2 directly for certain situations. The G-Armor is the primary form of transport for both component units while on the ground; although it is heavily armored, it sacrifices a lot of speed and agility. The G-Sky is its inverse; it has a lot of mobility due to being airborne, but it cannot defend itself due to lacking the heavier weapons of its other forms. Finally, the Gundam Sky combines the upper half of the RX-78-2 with the B Parts, allowing it to fight more effectively while in flight at the expense of the flexibility afforded to it by its legs.

Feats

Optimus Prime

Accomplishments

Prevented Megatron from using the Ferrotaxis supercomputer to cyberform the Earth during the events of Transformers: Devastation.
Led the Autobots for more than several million years in the fight against the Decepticons through many different planets.
In Transformers: The Headmasters, he merged with Vector Sigma - the Allspark - to save the Earth at the cost of his own life. (He was resurrected not long after.)
Has defeated Combiners such as Devastator, Menasor and Bruticus all by himself.
Wiped out the Hate Plague before it could infect the whole galaxy.
Was reforged into Sky Convoy to defeat Super Megatron and the Sky Giant.
Led the Autobots to victory in several continuities where the War for Cybertron had ended.
Teamed up with Megatron in the IDW comics to save Cybertron from the corrupted Shockwave, subsequently burying the hatchet between them in that continuity.
By this point, Shockwave was in possession of literal god-level powers and the ability to rewrite the fabric of reality as he saw fit.
Through the millions of years he has been alive, he has mastered almost every form of combat and become one of the greatest tacticians in Cybertron’s history.
Killed Nova Prime during the Dark Cybertron event.
Has repeatedly beaten several high-ranked Decepticons, including: Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Shockwave, Scorponok, Blitzwing, Motormaster, Barricade, Brawl, Breakdown, Kickback, Bombshell, Shrapnel, Trypticon and more.
Fought his way past the government’s elite guard into the Cybetronian Senate while he was still Orion Pax and without the aid of the Matrix.
In the Prime Wars Trilogy, he finally defeated Megatron one-on-one, ending the Great War.
He can effectively lead skirmishes on different battlegrounds.
Once managed to somehow to beat Cthulhu. (Yes. that Cthulhu.)
The Matrix of Leadership can send him visions of possible futures.

Strength

Beat Megatron to near death:

Megatron was able to survive an explosion that knocked Cybertron out of Earth’s orbit. Doing so would require up to 9.5 zettatons of TNT.
Megatron survived this with just a couple cracks in his armor, and Optimus was able to beat him down to the point where he could’ve died had he not been reformatted and turned into Galvatron.

Lifted giant boulders.
Truck mode can smash through stone and send other Transformers careening through steel or stone walls.
Flipped over an ocean liner and later threw it.
Ion Blaster can make Devastator lose his footing

Devastator one-shot a building.
He also survived an explosion from deep underground.

Scales to Megatron who knocked down the Washington Monument with just one punch.

Ion Blaster can one-shot tanks.
One-shot Monstructor, a Combiner.
Damaged the near-unbreakable armor of the Phase Sixer, Sixshot. Sixshot’s armor is made out of a material formed from a collapsed star that can withstand galaxy-level explosions.
Ripped off Megatron's Fusion Cannon and proceeded to beat him down with it.
Tore Swindle apart.
Knocked out Soundwave in one hit.
Weaker Autobots such as Huffer, Sunstreaker, and Ironhide have lifted up woolly mammoths over their heads. Woolly mammoths can weigh about 6 tons
In Devastation, he can hit the ground so hard, it creates a massive power geyser that boasts a great amount of damage and a wide area-of-effect to boot.
Can nearly knock Devastator off his feet with a shoulder charge.

Speed

Dodged a shot from a tank
Dodged attacks from Nightbird, a ninja robot.
Beat the Fusion Cannon's firing speed with his Ion Blaster.
Can dodge missile fire. (Missiles can fly at Mach 9.7.)
Can effortlessly evade attacks from Windblade.
Blitzted Galvatron, often portrayed as an upgraded form of Megatron.

Durability

Shrugged off falling from orbit twice.
Survived a shot from Megatron that casually blows up mountain-tops
Can tank hits from Devastator.

Devastator can stop and destroy a drill that would’ve dug to the Earth’s core and caused it to explode.

No-sold having a speeding truck ram into his leg.
Survived having one of his arms ripped off, being blasted through his chest and knocked into a deep pit.
Got stepped on directly by Trypticon and lived.
Survived being crushed under several tons of rubble.
Got trapped inside a chamber filled with anti-matter and survived.
Survived a blast from an amped Megatron

Megatron was infused with the Heart of Cybertron, a trinket used to power the Decepticons’ ship so that it could fly from Cybertron to the Earth 4 million years ago.

Survived a duel with Megatron, while Megatron had one specific trait from each of his minions, for example:

Rumble’s earthquake power
Skywarp’s illusions
Reflector’s blinding light
Thundercracker’s sonic boom blasts
Starscream’s cluster bombs and Null Ray

Took hits from Thunderwing, who - by his own admission and Optimus' - has enough power to wipe out the universe.
Tanked attacks from Nova Prime, possessed by the embodiment of the Dead Universe.
He, Scorponok and the Dinobots survived the explosion of the Toraxxis Mega-Refinery, a facility that holds and refines around eight billion megaliters of Energon. The resulting explosion can be seen from orbit.