[ Phase 03: Justice Gundam ]

ZGMF-X09A Justice. For when Truthiness just won't do. 

Justice rounds out the SEED S-rank Trio, and ends it on a high note. Then again, it's following up Providence, so it's not like the bar was set all that high...

After taking a good hard look at all three of these units for the first time in a long time, I realized that each one is designed to introduce new pilots to unique features of upper-tier units, one at a time.  Freedom encourages growth and confidence in the pilot's new skills, Providence introduces funnels (and the art of how to make an S-rank bad at pretty much everything), and lastly, Justice gives them access to transformable, alternate modes for probably the first time.

Justice, despite being the most difficult to get a hold of, is definitely easier to use than Providence, and is probably almost on-par with Freedom in terms of facility. It may be a little bit more difficult to use than Freedom simply because it's a close-range unit, and they tend to be a bit tougher because they're usually a bit more technical than most.  I'm assuming that's why they introduce it last, since by the time Justice's quest becomes available, the pilot should be starting to get a good handle on the game's mechanics and is ready for something a little more challenging. In fact, in order to get their hands on it, pilots must complete the Intermediate and Advanced Combat Tutorials, which anyone who's spent enough time on the Beginner Mission 1 Channel knows have a habit of causing newer players a lot of trouble if their skills aren't sharp enough. In order to even get this unit for free, the game sort of demands that you already have at least a little bit of skill in playing. 

Is the hassle worth it?  I'd say so. Out of the three, it probably has the most potential and staying power as a viable unit into the upper ranks. Freedom can last you a little while, but is better geared for Missions, and Providence is just generally a pretty sour unit right from the get-go. But Justice can become a pretty decent unit if given enough time, effort, and attention. Despite this, you won't see it all too often in higher-ranking PvP matches. My best guess as to why this is would be because if a pilot decides they like Justice enough to keep using it way down the road, they're quite likely to pursue Infinite Justice, and if/when they get their hands on it, their old Justice will take a back-seat for its SS-rank successor. I would assume the same principle applies to users of Freedom vs. Strike Freedom - if they like it enough to keep using it beyond the point where it becomes unwieldy, they're probably going to end up building Strike Freedom later on down the line and shelf the Freedom.

One thing that sets it apart from its counterparts is that it's the only one out of the three that's probably better prepared for PvP than it is for Missions.  That isn't to say that it can't do Missions, because it can.  You just have to be a little bit choosy about which Missions you take it through, as its ranged capabilities are a little mediocre. Not terrible, but pretty average for a Close-Range unit. The beam special is nice, at any rate.

Justice is the unit that actually breaks a lot of new ground for beginner pilots.  It introduces transformable units, weapons that inflict status ailments, CIWS (finally) and homing "boomerang"-type weapons, which are common on many SEED-universe units (Sword Impulse, Sword Strike, Destiny, Justice, Infinite Justice, Strike Rouge, Sword Calamity...) and take a little bit of practice to get the hang of.  Mercifully, like the other two, it really seems like this unit is still intended for newer pilots, albeit slightly more experienced ones who are ready to take the next step. Its transformation isn't restricted by the ammo left on a certain weapon, and it doesn't "purge" like some units (Virtue and Alvatore come to mind), meaning that while a new pilot is learning the ropes of strategic transformations, there's no real penalty for them transforming at an inappropriate time. They can always go back if they don't like the outcome.

And yet with all these options at its disposal, Justice never really plays like it's trying too hard. It's very obvious when you use it that you're using a Close-Range unit, rather than a Mid-Ranger pretending it's a Close-Ranger for a change of pace.

With regards to its weapons, Justice is kind of an interesting machine.  Most transformable units have three weapons in their Primary mode, and then their alternate mode will have less - one or two, more likely than not.  Justice's Primary mode has dual beam swords and a beam boomerang (which inflicts Slow, like every other beam boomerang ever), while its alternate mode has more beam swords, a mid-range beam rifle, and a CIWS.

Another thing that needs to be said for Justice is its speed and agility.  This thing is fast, especially in its alternate mode (where it surfs on its jet-pack and gives Maxter Transporter a run for its money). Even in the waiting room, sortieing Justice and then switching modes and running around while your teammates ready up will give you an idea of how quick the thing is. Maybe it's something about the colour... pink is kind of like red, right? Like Freedom, it runs the Phase-Shift Armor and Neutron Jammer Canceller skills, but because it has a better base defense stat than Freedom, it can benefit more from Phase-Shift than its mid-range partner in crime. It's quite useful on certain missions that, honestly, you might not expect to use it on, such as Jaburo Jungle on higher difficulties, where Phase-Shift will dull the sting of the Gaws' homing missiles. Of course, this also benefits you in PvP as well.  Justice simply seems to make more out of its skill set than Freedom does.  It's not the best skill set that it could have, but it's pretty close.

All in, when everything is said and done, Justice is arguably the best out of the three SEED S-ranks that you get early on. It's fast, well-balanced, powerful, surprisingly durable for its type, has a nice mix of close-range and mid-range weapons, and you don't really get the feeling like it's lacking too much, even though it doesn't have a long-range option at its disposal. It makes good use of its skills, and it can handle PvP and Missions both with near-equal ease. It's no wonder that many people choose to build an Infinite Justice later on down the line, because Justice is simply a very likeable unit, and the thought of taking it to the next level is probably pretty appealing to its enthusiasts.

Ratings:

Ease of Use:
PvP Potential:
Mission Potential:
Enjoyability:
Frequency of Use: