YUKIKAZE

Yukikaze
mave Yukikaze

Battle Fairy Yukikaze (Sentou Yousei Yukikaze – 戦闘妖精雪風) is a five episode OAV series from 2002. Mecha designs were contributed by Atsushi Takeuchi, Ikuto Yamashita, Kanetake Ebikawa and Seiji Kio. The story is based on novels by Chohei Kanbayashi. Here at Gears Online we will be focusing on the machines of Yukikaze.

Battle Fairy Yukikaze is a military action story that takes place in a near future where mysterious aliens known as the JAM have opened a portal from their world to ours in the form of a swirling column of mist over the continent of Antarctica. Earth’s military establishes a forward base just inside the portal of the JAM’s world, designated Fairy, where the Fairy Air Force (FAF) battles desperately to turn the tide of the war and keep Earth safe from the JAM’s raids.

The humans discover that the war with JAM is as much a war of intelligence as it is air power. The JAM counter each new technological advance of the FAF and seem to be gaining an edge from inside information. Several FAF operations are thwarted when the JAM compromise the FAF’s computer networks. The problem becomes so bad that when FAF fighter planes that use sophisticated artificial intelligence go rogue and attack FAF forces it is hard to tell if they are controlled by the JAM or are attacking equipment the JAM have infiltrated.

In the heart of this struggle is lieutenant Fukai Rei, a talented fighter pilot who develops an implicit trust in the advanced AI built into his fighter, the Yukikaze. Yukikaze was the name of a destroyer in Japan’s navy that during World War II gained the reputation of being unsinkable. The fighter with the same name in Yukikaze proves equally unsinkable as it survives the worst the JAM can throw at it. Yukikaze’s AI develops a strong bond with Rei and this bond makes them an unstoppable force that in the end helps the humans turn the tide of the war with the JAM and seal the portal over the Antarctic.

Fighter Aircraft
Other Aircraft
Ground Forces
Ships
JAM Forces
Mave Chan

Special thanks to Newton Ewell who supplied many of the images for this section.