ZGMF-X23S Saviour Gundam

The ZGMF-X23S Saviour Gundam appears in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. It is piloted by Athrun Zala.

One of ZAFT's five Second Stage Series mobile suits, the Saviour Gundam outperformed the ZGMF-1000 ZAKU Warrior, ZAFT's mass-production MS in CE 73, because it shared the same basic performance as the ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam and ZGMF-X09A Justice Gundam. The Saviour Gundam's design has a strong emphasis on mobility. With its two huge wings, it can exhibit high aerial combat capability in MS mode. However, it can also change into a mobile armor (MA) mode that resembles a fighter aircraft and has a faster cruising speed and acceleration.

The head of the Saviour is similar to that of the GAT-X303 Aegis Gundam, with sensor-type equipment placed at the top. Equipped with a beam rifle, shield, two beam sabers, two CIWS guns, two machine guns, and a pair of beam and plasma beam cannons, the Saviour specializes at hit-and-run strikes by combining its MS and MA modes. It features a battery that can be refilled during combat utilizing the Deuterion Beam Energy Transfer System, and it is outfitted with Variable Phase Shift armor, a novel type of Phase Shift armor that can work in space. Similar to the ZGMF-X24S Chaos Gundam, the ZGMF-YX21R Proto-Saviour serves as the foundation for the Saviour Gundam.

With their previous generation of Gundams destroyed in the first conflict, ZAFT developed a new series of prototype mobile suits known as the Second Stage Series in late CE 73. Gundam Saviour was one of these new suits. Since its development had lagged behind that of the others, it was absent during the theft of the other Second Stage Series at Armory One. Chairman Gilbert Durandal gave it to Athrun Zala, who had just been re-instated into ZAFT and appointed to the elite FAITH detachment, following the "Break the World" incident.

Following a brief altercation with Orb forces, Athrun piloted the Saviour back to Earth and subsequently became a member of the battleship Minerva's crew. In the Gulnahan Ravine, Athrun quickly neutralized the mobile armor YMAG-X7F Gells-Ghe by using the Saviour. and in other battles, he frequently uses hit-and-run strategies to tie up the Phantom Pain's ZGMF-X24S Chaos Gundam. The Saviour helped the ZGMF-X56S/α Force Impulse Gundam disable the ZGMF-X88S Gaia Gundam during the Lodonia Lab inquiry. Saviour was subsequently irreparably damaged during the naval battle off the coast of Crete by the ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam.

GunPla Entries

The Saviour Gundam received a few GunPla releases, so few, that fans are still waiting for a Master Grade and a Real Grade version of it.

The release include the 1/144 no grade in 2005, the High Grade Gundam SEED 1/144 also in 2005, and the 1/100 scale no grade that was released in 2006.

Anime screenshots