Burai

The Burai (無頼, Burai) is a remodeled version of the Glasgow Knightmare Frame manufactured by the Kyoto House and operated by the Black Knights and the Japan Liberation Front. Designated as the Type-1R, the Burai acts as the mainline Knightmare Frame of anti-Britannian resistance groups for a majority of the First Black Rebellion. It is eventually replaced in a.t.b 2018 with the newer 7th generation Akatsuki as the Black Knights' mass-production Knightmare unit, though they did see use in training new recruits to the Black Knights.

Design and Specifications
Though Japan was easily conquered by the Holy Britannian Empire, its surrender was ultimately forced by the sudden death of Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi at a point when the country's military was still eager to fight. As a result, even seven years after when the former nation, now renamed as Area 11, is firmly under Britannian control, the region was a hotbed of resistance as former soldiers and Japanese nationals attempted to fight back as best they could. One method of resistance was provided by the Kyoto House, a group of Japanese industrialists who fund and support anti-Britannia groups in strict secrecy. Using their wealth of resources, the Kyoto House constructed the "Type-1R Burai", a Knightmare Frame that is heavily cannibalized from the former Britannian-operated RPI-11 Glasgow.

At its core, the Type-1R is still a standard Glasgow Knightmare, with no real significant upgrades that have been made to give it any form of performance boost that assist it during combat scenarios. As such, the Burai still falls under the category of a 4th-Generation Knightmare Frame. The only notable changes to the original Glasgow design were the addition of a samurai-styled head attachment, with fang-like cheekbones which give the appearance of a Japanese Oni, and hand protectors, small shield-like bracers that allow the Burai to better defend against direct melee enemy attacks, though these changes are very minor and cosmetic at best. Also, the torso mounted anti-personnel machine is now permanently fixed on the chest instead of being stored inside the chest compartment and needing to be manually deployed first.

Aside from the aforementioned additions, the Burai's appearance is identical to the Glasgow. The color scheme of the Burai can vary on who its operator is; for example, units used by the JLF (Japanese Liberation Front) are seen in traditional military green colors, while the most common are Burais operated by the Black Knights which are grey with faded brown secondary colors. Additionally, Kallen Kozuki is shown to pilot a custom red Burai, which was most likely upgraded from her original custom Glasgow that she used in the early stages of the series. Since the Burai is predominantly a machine used by the Black Knights, their leader, the masked figure known only by Zero, pilots a unique customized unit with a red head module and golden horns resembling those on a samurai's helmet. It is also has darker grey and more prominent brown secondary colors to its appearance.

For armaments, since the Burai is heavily re-used from the Glasgow design, it possesses much of the same Knightmare weaponry that was seen fitted to the aging machine during its use by Britannia. This includes common weapons such as the Assault Rifle (with Grenade Launcher attachment), Giant Cannon rocket launchers, elbow mounted Tonfas (note that these are not shown to be the same Stun Tonfa weapon used by the likes of the Sutherland which have built-in stun guns). The only known armament shown to be exclusive to the Type-1R are wrist mounted missile launcher pods, which can house up to 8x missiles in total. Apart from the elbow mounted Tonfa batons, the mass production Type-1R Burai has not been shown to use any form of weapon specifically for use in close quarters combat. Instead, this was more suited to the "Type-10R Burai Kai", an improved variant of the Burai piloted by the elite members of the Four Holy Swords, being the first KMFs to use the powerful Revolving Blade Sword.

Due to the fact that the Burai is essentially a recycled Glasgow, it still holds a performance level which places it in the 4th Generation of Knightmare Frames. This proves to be somewhat of a liability, as its general performance and effectiveness is sub-par in comparison to the likes of 5th Generation Knightmares that were already fully in use by the Britannian Military forces, such as the RPI-13 Sutherland and later the RPI-209 Gloucester; therefore, the Burai can be easily outmatched and outmaneuvered by these very Knightmare Frames in most battle situations. Because of this, the Burai relies more so on its sheer numerical strength of being a mass-production unit rather than all-out combat efficiency as a machine, and since it is built upon the aging Glasgow platform, it is much more cost efficient for the Kyoto House to produce in large numbers, rather than having to invest in more modern and more powerful Knightmares of a higher technological generation which would ultimately be far too costly for mass-production.

Burai Kai
The Type-10R Burai Kai is an optimized version of the Type-1R Burai that was created for the Japanese Liberation Front's elite unit, the Four Holy Swords. The most distinctive change to the base Burai unit is the addition of a pair of long, trailing antennae mounted on the back of the head. Additionally, they are shown to wield the powerful Revolving Blade Sword, a katana-like weapon which they use for close-quarters combat, thus further adding to the Burai's general samurai aesthetic.



Burai Experimental Radiant Wave Type
As its name implies, this is a variation of the Burai that carries a Radiation Wave Surger arm unit. During the early development stages of the video game Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion - Lost Colors, Rai was supposed to pilot this machine if he were to join The Order of the Black Knights. However, the idea was rejected and the Burai Experimental Radiant Wave Type lost its role in favor to the Gekka Pre-Production Test Type.

Variants from Nintendo DS Game
The following variants are exclusive to the Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Nintendo DS video game only.

Burai Close Combat Type
The Close Combat Type has a green color scheme and two spike shields in both hands as a replacement for the hand protectors.

Burai Drill Type
The Drill Type was developed to specialize in construction and demolition. It has a yellow color scheme and the hands have been replaced with drill arms. It also retains the two chest-mounted Slash Harkens.

Burai Enhanced Long Range Type
The Enhanced Long Range Type has a blue color scheme and a large barrel sticking out of its chest that is a scaled-down version of the Super Electromagnetic Shrapnel Cannon of the Raikō.

Burai Full Enhancement Type
The Full Enhancement Type has a pink color scheme and sports a pair of missile pods attached to its shoulders that can be fired at full salvo.

Burai Heavy Weapons Type
The Heavy Weapons Type has been modified to utilize a variety of Heavy Duty weapons. It has a light brown color scheme and an additional Landspinner Propulsion System on its back.

Burai High Mobility Type
The High Mobility Type has a blue color scheme and holds a variety of weapons.

Burai Long Range Type
The Long Range Type has a light blue color scheme and a left arm-mounted gatling gun.

Burai Powered Type
The Powered Type has a black color scheme and a pair of giant claws acting as its main melee weapon.

Burai Radiation Wave Test Type
The Radiation Wave Test Type has a brown color scheme and an early model of the Radiant Wave Surger. It should not be confused with the Experimental Radiant Wave Type.

Burai Special Weapons A-Type
The Special Weapons A-Type has been specialized in demolition and construction. It has a light brown and grey color scheme and an iron sphere as its main weapon.

Burai Special Weapons B-Type
The Special Weapons B-Type has been specialized in a role as a long-range support unit. It has a light blue color scheme and gatling guns as its main weapons.

Trivia

 * "Burai" means "unreliance" in Japanese. Ironically, it's a Copy Production Model of the Glasgow.