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AC-3 White Heron

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AC-3 White Heron
An AC-3 White Heron in Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla
Height 6 meters[1]
Length 30 meters[1][2]
Weight 35 metric tons[1][2]
Width 25 meters[1]
Targets Godzilla
Piloted by Various, including Lieutenant Susumu Hayama, Lieutenant Kenji Sekine, and Third Lieutenant Azusa Kisaragi
Attaches to Kiryu
First appearance Latest appearance
Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla Godzilla: Tokyo SOS

The AC-3 White Heron (A (エー)C (シー)-3 (スリー)しらさぎ,   Ei Shī Surī Shirasagi)[note 1] is a support vehicle used by the JSDF which first appeared in the 2002 Godzilla film, Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla.

Name

The AC-3 White Herons' name is derived from the Japanese word shirasagi (白鷺), a combination of shiro (白), meaning "white," and sagi (鷺), meaning "heron" or "egret." Onscreen text in the international export version of Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla translates their name literally as "AC-3 White Heron," and this is reflected in some contemporary sources including Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla Super Complete Works.[3] However, the film's Japanese theater program translates it as simply Shirasagi.[4] In real life, the "A" in a military jet designation stands for "attack aircraft," and the "C" for "close air support."

History

Millennium era

Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla

The AC-3 White Herons were developed alongside Kiryu as a means to both pilot the mech and transport it. Two of the planes transported it to Yokohama to confront Godzilla for the first time. After Godzilla's roar caused the spirit of the first Godzilla within Kiryu's bones to possess the machine and rampage through the city, Second Lieutenant Susumu Hayama attempted to lure Kiryu out to sea with a White Heron but was promptly shot down by its homing missiles. All aboard narrowly escaped as the plane exploded.

The White Herons intervened several times during Kiryu's second battle with Godzilla in Tokyo. As Second Lieutenant Akane Yashiro took manual control of Kiryu, it was recharged by one of the Herons. Later, Hayama opened fire on Godzilla as the monster prepared to fire his atomic breath at a prone Kiryu, crashing the plane into Godzilla's maw. Akane delayed Kiryu's firing of the Absolute Zero to remove the Heron from Godzilla's mouth, allowing Hayama to eject to safety.

Godzilla: Tokyo SOS

As an out-of-control Kiryu carried Godzilla out to sea, Azusa Kisaragi's White Heron pursued them to rescue mechanic Yoshito Chujo, who was trapped inside. Using the Heron's cannons, she destroyed the jammed maintenance hatch, and Kiryu rotated, allowing Chujo to fall out. Kyosuke Akiba, Kiryu's operator, ejected from the White Heron and caught him in midair.

Video games

City Shrouded in Shadow

Three White Herons appear in the game's thirteenth stage. Identical to their film appearances, they are first seen carrying Kiryu into battle against Godzilla and afterwards linger briefly before the former goes berserk.

Abilities

  • Flight at 930 kilometers per hour, or 750 kilometers per hour when lifting Kiryu
  • Functions as the control station for Kiryu
  • Capable of carrying and transporting extremely heavy objects with help of a wire.
  • Able to transmit energy to Kiryu
  • Has ejector seats

Weapons

  • Can fire dual pulsating cannons

Comics

Godzilla: Rulers of Earth

The Counter-Kaiju Reaction Forces utilized a pair of AC-3 White Herons to remotely pilot Mechagodzilla as he was transporting Anguirus to a new facility in Russia. They were destroyed shortly thereafter by a pair of Mechagodzilla units sent by the Cryog aliens. Two more White Herons were subsequently dispatched as part of the recovery team sent to rescue the survivors of the attack.

Gallery

Screenshots

Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla

  • AC-3 White Heron 01.jpg
  • Shirasagi GXMG.jpg

Post-production

  • An AC-3 White Heron prop (bottom right)

    An AC-3 White Heron prop (bottom right)

Magazines

  • F624faaf51b2637e1fd7932fa811bfed.jpg

Merchandise

  • Aoshima Bunka Kyouzai's Kiryu/Shirasagi model kit box art by Shinji Nishikawa

    Aoshima Bunka Kyouzai's Kiryu/Shirasagi model kit box art by Shinji Nishikawa

Notes

  1. ↑ While Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla Super Complete Works (p. 18) indicates the pronunciation of the "3" in AC-3 White Heron as surī (スリー), the publication Godzilla Dictionary [New Edition] (p. 46) instead writes it as san (さん).

References

This is a list of references for AC-3 White Heron. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Godzilla Dictionary [New Edition]. Kasakura Publishing. 7 August 2014. p. 46. ISBN 9784773087253.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works. villagebooks. 28 September 2012. p. 30. ISBN 4-864-91013-8.
  3. ↑ Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla Super Complete Works. Shogakukan. 10 January 2003. p. 18. ISBN 978-4-09-101488-7.
  4. ↑ Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla theater program. Toho. p. 9. 14 December 2002.

 
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