Wiki defines a sniper as:

“A sniper is an individual, usually a soldier or law enforcement agent, who specializes in shooting targets with high-precision rifles from very long distances, usually from a concealed location. Most are skilled in carrying out stealth and camouflage tactics on a battlefield zone. Military snipers are also adept at carrying out methods of infiltration, reconnaissance, and observation techniques.”

I’m going to loosely use this definition for my top ten list. After going through a whole bunch of animes I narrowed it down to my list to 5 snipers. This list was pretty fun to make and I hope you enjoy reading it.

#5 on our list is:

Vash the Stampede

Vash comes from an anime called “Trigun”, which aired in the late 90s. Now I know Vash isn’t your typical “sniper”, but I feel that because his accuracy with his revolver allows him to be placed on this list. The story behind Vash is actually long and confusing so I’ll just sum it up quickly: Vash is an alien life form on a quest to save humans from his evil brother. Now the anime doesn’t really explain why he is so skilled with firearms but then again does it really matter? Regardless, Vash is a force to be reckoned with.

Here is the intro to the Anime series…. Ahh this brings me back.

#4 on our list is:

Uryū Ishida

You might recognize this character from the ever so popular “Bleach” anime. I hate referencing Bleach and Naruto because of all the insane fan boys out there, but in this situation Mr. Ishida deservers all the fame.

In the “Bleach” storyline, UryÅ« Ishida is part of a line of a warrior monks called “Quincy”. The “Quincy” are a clan of humans who, over many centuries, became spiritually aware. In doing so they devised their own brand of spiritual powers; they can absorb spiritual energy and then manipulate for offensive purposes. They most commonly reshape spiritual particles into various types of bow and arrows, but can also concentrate spiritual energy into the form of swords or explosives. UryÅ« Ishida himself uses his spiritual powers to manifest bow & arrows, which he uses to sniper evil spirits.

#3 on our list is:

Yoko Littner

Yoko Littner is from the Anime called Gurren Lagann. Yoko is a girl from Jeeha’s neighboring village of Ritona. She wields an extensive range of firearms, most frequently of which is a long range sniper rifle modeled after the Barrett M82. She uses her marksmanship from afar to assist the other characters in the show. I’m too lazy to get into her full story but if you want to learn more, here you go:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Tengen_Toppa_Gurren_Lagann_primary_characters

Now why is she on the Top Snipers list? She kicks ass, uses a sniper rifle, and is extremely hot. If you can find a better anime sniper, let me know.

(WARNING THIS VIDEO HAS LOTS OF BOUNCING BOOBS AND FANSERVICE)

#2 on our list is:

Lockon Stratos

“Lockon Stratos will SNIPE THEM!” Sorry small anime reference there.

Lockon Stratos is the call sign of the sniper in the anime series Gundam 00. At a young age, Lockon witnessed the death of family at the hands of terrorist. Since the attack he has carried a deep resentment towards terrorists ever since. This resentment pushes him to join an anti-terrorist group called “Celestial Being”, allowing him to pursue justice against evil-doers.

Lockon is #2 on this list because he can snipe moving targets while piloting a huge Robotic war machine. Now I know this is all fictional but that definitely sounds a little difficult. As the sharpshooter for the Gundam Meisters, Lockon proved his value in combat against overwhelming odds several times.

Check out Lockon in action:

Finally the

#1 Sniper on our list…

SAITO

Saito comes from the Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. anime. Saito is an elite soldier in an government anti-terrorist group known as Section 9. He can handle any automatic firearm with deadly accuracy and precision, but his primary role is as the unit’s tactical sniper. His left eye was replaced with the “Hawkeye”, a prosthetic eye that interfaces with satellites to allow for shots of incredible accuracy. He is also valued for his ability to think like enemy snipers; on two separate occasions his ability at determining sniping locations impacted Section 9′s actions.

See why Saito is #1:

 

I hope you enjoy the list! If you have any comments or questions feel free to ask! Think you know a better sniper? Try us! Want to call us noobs? Bring it! Until next week!

Stay tuned for small updates throughout the week.

Gundam 00 takes place in the year 2307. At this time 3 nations, the Union, the Human Reformist Alliance and the AEU, are in control of an orbital elevator that provides solar energy. Although these countries enjoy the benefits of solar energy the rest of the world’s nations do not reap the same benefits. This unequal distribution of wealth/energy causes war and conflict throughout the world. Amidst the seemingly endless conflict a new mysterious military organization known as Celestial Being appears. This organization warns the world that they will end all warfare by using advanced technological suits called Gundam. These Gundam are extremely powerful and intervene on all military actions with deadly force. Celestial Being positions itself as the world police and the series focuses on the conflicts between the 3 super nations, Celestial Being, and other factions.

Gundam fans will not be disappointed with this reiteration of the Gundam vision. It’s similar to Seed, and Waltz but still manages to be fresh. The animation is good but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before.

Here is a wrixel music video, featuring “Linkin Park – No Roads”

In conclusion Gundam00 attempts to be greater than its predecessors but fails. The show positions itself as a political, thought-provoking Anime but leaves you with unimaginative characters and redundant action sequences. The show has one or two characters that ARE interesting but fails at highlighting them. It rehashes political themes that have been in other Animes for the past 10 years. Despite these flaws Gundam 00 is still entertaining. I somehow never get tired of watching giant robots fight it out with lasers shooting everywhere. The animation is slight above par and the audio is good. The season features nice OP/ED songs featuring, L’Arc~en~Ciel. Season 1 sets up a great stage for Season 2 which is coming out after Code Geass Season 2.

As a series Gundam 00 just gains a wriXeL endorsement. The show is not for everyone but if you are into mechs you won’t be disappointed. We give Gundam00 a 77.52 out of 100.

The first couple of minutes of episode 1 showed a lot of promise. The animation was slick and the L’Arc~en~Ciel Intro song was just awesome. However as I continued watching my opinion changed.

The Gundam series is known for its over top Mechs battles coupled with riveting stories. The series is kinda like “Final Fantasy” in the sense that they constantly create new stories under the same “GUNDAM” theme.

I don’t want to spoil the first episode but the basic premise looks like its super powered GUNDAMs vs the rest of the world. A special military organization called “Celestial Being” has created DIESAL robots called, “Gundam”. Celestial Being” is trying to achieve world peace by destroying anyone who wants to fight. They utilize Gundams to eradicate war by using extreme force. This is a huge oxymoron and it doesn’t really make sense to me.  How would waging war on everyone create peace? Regardless the battle sequence in Episode 1 was splendid. If you are looking for stylish Mech action then look no further.

Although the first episode was aesthetically pleasing it didn’t really pique my interest.  I am always turned off by the political undertones of the GUNDAM series. This particular season doesn’t seem to stray much from it time tested formula. If you haven’t watched “Code Geass” I would highly recommend watching that instead.  If fact I think I’ll watch Code Geass again before I continue with Gundam 00. Keep in mind these are my initial thoughts after viewing EPISODE 1 and the series will probably get a lot better as the story and characters develop.

In summary, Gundam 00 doesn’t warrant a wriXeL endorsement. The series might pick up later on but until then you won’t see me running home to download the next episode.  I plan on writing another review after the series ends. Hopefully the series will get better.

On a side note what does everyone watch these days?? Is it just me or is Anime sucking a lot these days?

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