Shinkirō

The Shinkirō (蜃気楼) is an Eighth Generation Transformable Knightmare Frame constructed for Lelouch vi Britannia (Zero)'s personal use. It possesses an integrated Air Glide Wing System for flight and can transform into a submarine/jet fighter to move underwater and/or fly, which Lelouch uses to travel to and from Japan undetected. Its armor is primarily black and gold, and it has several unusual physical features. Its feet are not flat, instead consisting of four large toes, and its head has four eyes. Its cockpit is also much wider. In addition to the standard control yoke system, the Shinkirō has keyboard-based controls similar to those used on the Gawain.

Design and development
The Shinkirō possesses an Absolute Defense Territory (絶対守護領域, Zettai Shugo Ryōiki) system which uses an array of hexagonal energy shields that can be projected over any part of the Knightmare. Its Druid System, adapted from the Gawain, plots the trajectories of incoming projectiles and shifts the shields accordingly, giving the Shinkirō the highest defensive power of any Knightmare Frame. All these are controlled by the Druid system and the keyboard-based controls. The system requires incredibly complex calculations to form effective barriers, such that it takes an intellect on the level of Lelouch to use the system to its full potential. When Rolo Lamperouge attempts to use it, he is only able to erect a meager defense with a number of weak spots. At its full potential, the Absolute Defense Territory can block a sustained blast from the Mordred's Stark Hadron Cannon, albeit at the cost of much of its power reserves.

Its main weapon is a chest-mounted Diffusion Structure Phase Transition Cannon (拡散構造相転移砲, Kakusan Kōzō Shō Teni Hō). When activated, a prism-like object is fired from the Shinkirō's chest. The Shinkirō then fires a powerful beam into the prism, which refracts the blast into dozens of devastating pinpoint lasers. The beam can be fired without launching the prism for a concentrated attack. The shields must be deactivated for the weapon to be fired. The Shinkirō also has a pair of Hadron blasters mounted on the underside of its wrists which fire sphere-shaped blasts, rather than continuous beams.

Operational history
It is first appeared to protect Empress Tianzi against Gun-Rus of the Chinese Federation and destroyed almost all enemies using its Phase Transition Cannon. It also appeared in the Second Battle of Tokyo, in which its two primary weaknesses are shown: When engaged by the Mordred, Lelouch did not counterattack, as he had no melee weapons, but merely defended. Later, Knight of Ten Luciano Bradley exploited the Shinkiro's need to lower its shield before firing to damage its firing prism. Bradley and his Grausam Valkyrie Squadron would have destroyed Lelouch if not for the lightning-swift destruction of the Valkyrie Squadron by Kallen in her Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. Eight Elements.

The Shinkiro is later used, albeit badly, by Rolo to help Lelouch flee after the Black Knights turn on him, and is eventually destroyed by Gino's Tristan Divider after Lelouch infiltrates the Damocles.