Since ancient times, soldiers have been using
symbols on their shields and armors to identify each other in the heat of battle. With time,
these emblems started being used outside of battlefields and evolved in ever more complex, and
sometimes cryptic forms, creating what is known today as Armory, or Heraldry. Somehow this cultural
practice survived through the centuries, until the fateful day when we finally put emblems on giant
robots. This video is the unplanned second part of the one I previously did about the origin of the
names used in armored Core 6. This time I'm going to focus on the AC's , the pilots, and their emblems,
which I found, more often than not, are intended to be the deciphered together. I'll give my best shot at
interpreting the emblems based on the information I found, but I should tell you right away that
a few designs still left me clueless, while for others there are many possible explanations.
Let's have a look then, starting with the Vespers. Locksmith has a hand holding a key. We know
precious little about Freud: he's an unhenanced human, unlike every other Elite Corporation pilot,
he's the top pilot in the arena and the brute force of Arquebus [Snail: "That's what we have V1 for"] and boy
he loves to fight. [Freud: "No. More. Get up. The fun's only just begun"] I like how his biography mentions the
incremental improvements he makes on his AC. Unlike any other Vesper, who all use Arquebus AC parts, he is
not above using parts of the rival corporation Balam in his build. One interpretation I could
see for his emblem is that he will make keys to open doors, as in, creating an AC build that will
accomplish the mission. That, and his namesake Sigmund Freud was born in a locksmith house. As for
Snail, just like his name, his AC and emblem are also a mystery. Why is it called open Faith? Well
the interesting thing is, the second word of the AC name as written in the original Japanese, "feisu",
could be transliterated as either "faith" or "face", and the emblem is literally an open face. So, could this
be the result of a translation oversight?It's a possibility, and as for what will be the meaning
of the Open Face, I'll leave the interpretations to you. Also, as to underline Snail's sense of
superiority and self-importance, his AC is almost entirely made of parts by the Arquebus Advanced
Development Division. O'Keefe's AC is called Barren Flower, and flowers were a recurring subject
in the paintings of his namesake Georgia O'Keeffe. But the emblem also resembles an eye, which is
significant as O'Keeffe is the special intelligence officer of the Vespers and previously worked as
a spy. Well, actually, he never stopped being a spy, as all along he has been a double agent for All Mind inside Arquebus. This is foreshadowed by his AC using All Mind's parts. Rusty's Steel Haze is
probably named after the extreme speed of the AC, and we already talked in the past video about
Rusty's two emblems and two AC's. This time however I want to focus on how the build of Steel Haze Ortus, by itself, narrates a background story about war and espionage between the corporations. We
learn in a log left by independent mercenaries that they think Furlong are just pretending to
be neutral, and will never make a move out in the open. But what are they planning, exactly? The first clue is this broken log, which probably reads something like: "When the time comes, Furlong will
share technology with Elcano. You must stay hidden until then." This is a message directed to Rusty,
ordering him to stay hidden within the ranks of The Vespers until the time Steel Haze Ortus is
ready. A messenger from the Liberation Front is later intercepted while trying to let Rusty know
that his new AC is almost ready, and he doesn't need to fight 621 on Arquebus' orders anymore. [Rusty: "You're
strong, a threat, buddy. There's no greater threat than power without purpose"]. The second clue is in
the BAWS Arsenal, where we learn that Rubicon-based BAWS was financially supporting Elcano, as "That's
the only way we Rubiconians stand a chance". And finally, we learn from All Mind's brief of Steel
Haze Ortus that Elcano has stolen Arquebus technology and used it to develop a new model. The final
results of Elcano's backdoor deals are ultimately revealed in the parts for Steel Haze Ortus. The
Alba head and arms utilize Furlong technology. The core and the legs have been retro engineered from
Schneider's AC's, which is a subsidiary of Arquebus, hence the "stolen Arquebus technology", and the Hokushi
generator has been developed in tandem with BAWS. The minor corporations, while feigning neutrality,
have been supporting the Rubicon Liberation Front behind the scenes through Elcano, and Steel Haze Ortus is the result of their effort to undermine both Balam and Arquebus. And, before letting Rusty go,
I wanted to point out its suspicious placement in the arena. Rusty is clearly a better pilot than
almost anyone else on Rubicon, but he doesn't want to blow his cover yet, and his placement
as 9/B is probably a cheeky reference to Nine Ball, the legendary final boss of the original Armored
Core. Armored Core 4 Answer, the last installment before 6 to feature an arena mode, also had the
legendary White Glint, possibly the strongest pilot in the game, at position nine in the arena. Right,
let's proceed with Hawkins and his AC Reconfig. The emblem and the name suggest some sort of
transhumanist theme, and Hawkins biography is all about his seventh generation augmentation surgery
and the lives tragically lost to the previous generations. The same general theme applies to
Maeterlinck and her AC, Infection. Maeterlinck is a product of eighth generation surgery, "bringing
about a new age of augmentation", and the emblem showing a mechanical mosquito infecting people in
a row, possibly represent these relatively safer augmentation surgeries becoming commonplace among
pilots. Swinburne's emblem depicts a lobotomy, which I find interesting together with the name "Guidance".
"e learn during the game that Arquebus prisoners of war are sent to the Re-education Center, which
is basically a euphemism for being brainwashed into serving Arquebus. this fate ultimately befalls
Handler Walter during the Liberator of Rubicon ending, even if the re-education is not entirely
successful with him. [Walter: "The corporation's orders... No... My friends' mission..." Anyway, Swinburne is the character
that mentions re-education the most, threatening 621 with it various times while battling him "I'll
have you all sent for re-education. Snail will be pleased to have you" - "With a little reprogramming
you'll make a fine soldier" - "To the re-education center with you. Ta-ta!" The ironic part is that if
we decide to accept his bribe and spare him, Snail sends a him to be re-educated: "Swinburne shameful
conduct has dishonored The Vespers. He has now been sent for reeducation under the orders
of V.II Snail". Pater's AC name, Dual Nature ,refers to his split personalities: both times we meet him,
he will suddenly switch from weeping over his dead comrades - "No! V.V come in!" - to gloating over
his battlefield promotions - "Hawkins' number is mine! Oh, how I've waited for this!" - "Once I made sure
Snail's dead, I'll be the only one left to carry on the glory of Arquebus!". Interestingly, Pater
is a product of generation 10 surgery, the culmination of efforts to preserve the patient
humanity, so his augmentation is not to blame for its psychopathic traits. Let's move on to Balam.
The names are mostly easier to understand when compared to Arquebus, and the emblems all feature
animals. Michigan's Liger Tail is represented in his emblem by a liger, a hybrid between a lion and
a tiger, which is depicted in the typical heraldic "passant" pose. Interestingly, his liger has five legs:
the AC Liger Tail has four legs and two arms, so maybe the five legs plus the weaponized tail are
supposed to represent the six limbs of the AC? A similar idea is behind the logo of the historical
Italian oil company ENI: a six-legged dog, in which the six legs represent the four wheels of a car
plus the two legs of the driver. Nile's deep down has two whales diving deep, and, well, I honestly
have no idea what it might mean. Much as Freud and Snail are, respectively, the brain and the brawn
of The Vespers, Nile is, as Walter puts it, "the brain to Michigan's muscle", and the emblem could be a
reference to his past rivalry with Michigan, as per Nile's biography. Or, someone must have really liked
this video of a humpback whale called Nile and her calf, and decided they were too cute not to put
them on the emblem. But let me know if you have any better ideas. Li Long has a Chinese name, just
like its pilot, and it means "Carp Dragon". The name and the emblem refer to the Chinese myth of the
Dragon Gate, where a carp that succeeds in ascending a waterfall is rewarded by being transformed into
a dragon. The word "Li Long" does not appear in Chinese dictionaries, but became popular with the
Pokemon Gyarados, whose Chinese name is "Bao Li Long", or "violent carp dragon". Volta's Cannon Head alludes
to his tank AC, armed with explosive weapons, and another emblem with an insect theme is that
of Iguazu's Head Bringer. It's a nice touch how the friendship between Volta and Iguazu is represented
with both emblems being insect-themed, and it also ties nicely into Balam parts being named after
entomologists. And, have you noticed that Head Bringer is the only Redgun that follows Michigan's
color scheme? Maybe that's Iguazu's way of showing respect to Michigan, despite how much he talks
about hating him. And finally we have Red's hermit. Its emblem depicts an adorable hermit crab, with
the tank gun representing the bazooka in his build. But the AC name assumes a very sad connotation
when, in New Game++, you realize that red is the only red gun left alive on Rubicon. "Commander
Michigan! Everyone! They're dead!because of you, Gun 13!". For the Rubicon Liberation Front we already
talked in the first video about Astghik and Shinobi. I just wanted to point out how Rokumonsen is one of the
only three human pilots to use All Mind parts, the other two being Sulla and O'Keeffe. We know that these
two have been working with All Mind, but nothing of the sort is mentioned regarding Rokumonsen.
Maybe he might have worked for All Mind in the past? There's no such mystery instead behind Index
Dunham and his AC Burn Pickaxe. The emblem design is exceedingly obvious, and it's about Dunha, being
a construction worker, as reflected in his Arena rank. Little Ziyi is another Chinese-named pilot, and
"Yue Yu" means "leaping fish", as shown in the emblem. In Chinese the expression "leaping fish" is famously
used in a common proverb: "The ocean is vast enough to allow fish to leap freely - the sky is high
enough to allow birds to fly freely." I mention this for two reasons: first, this is a proverb about freedom, which ties into little Ziyi being imprisoned when we help her escape during the "Prisoners
Rescue" mission, and, secondly, the parallel between fish and birds it's really interesting because,
after being orphaned, little Ziyi has been adopted by Middle Flatwell, whose AC is definitely bird
theme. Tsubasa means "Wing" in Japanese, and the emblem reminds me a lot of the cover of the book "Jonathan
Livingstone Seagull". The name is justified as Tsubasa is the lightest and most energy-efficient
AC amongst the arena pilots, perfect for flying around like a bird. And as for Freddy's Candle Ring,
the emblem is literally a ring-shaped candle. The ring is part of Freddy's name, and I believe that
the candle might be a reference to its spiritual nature and monk-like aloofness, as we are told in
his biography. RaD has only four pilots: we already talked about how Carla's "Full Course" is named
after her meal-inspired load out, and the emblem depicts a spider eating back its web, which is a
really metal way to depict a meal. But I think the emblem might also refer to the possibility
of Carla being Assistant No. 2, one of the original researchers who started exploiting
coral on Rubicon. If that's the case,v Carla's work as an Overseer, trying to eliminate Coral once and
for all, can be seen as her trying to dispose of her past work, much like the spider in the emblem.
Chatty's "Circus" name goes well with its gaudy color schemem and the emblem represents its long-range,
missile-based weapon load out, as you would know if you faced him and Carla aboard the Xylem. But the
name is also an homage to Japanese animator Ichiro Itano: he worked on anime series like Gundam and
Macross, and his style of depicting highly acrobatic action scenes with a huge barrage of moving
missiles is known among fans as the "Itano circus". Rummy's "Mad Stomp" has quite a straightforward
emblem, and Rummy is as mad as they come. But, despite the name, Mad Stomp never uses boost kicks,
despite being armed with only short range weaponry. Mad and stupid. Another certifiable crazy is Brute,
the owner of "Milk Tooth". I honestly have no clue regarding where the name comes from, but I did
notice that the skull in his emblem has two rows of teeth, like x-ray of kids, where both sets of
milk teeth and adult teeth are present at the same time. Next are a few ACs that are not featured in
the Arena: the first is Kate Markson's "Transcriber". I love the symbolism behind both the AC name and
the emblem, and they only appear in the "Obstruct the Mandatory Inspection" mission briefing. The AC
frame is entirely made up of All Mind parts, and that's because Kate markson doesn't exist: it's
just All Mind behind a false identity, which ties into the name "Transcriber": one that writes down
what someone else is saying. The emblem clearly resembles the All Mind logo but it's shaped like
the tip of a fountain pen, in reference to the name. Then there's IB-CO3: HAL 826, piloted by Handler
Walter. The name probably stands for "Ibis Coral Three", the third and last of the Ibis series, and,
even though there's no way to know for sure, I like the theory that Hal might be the name of
Assistant No. 1, Walter's father. Walter's emblem is heavily featured during the game and
I love how it matches the Overseer symbol, which, in turn, is an inversion of All Mind's logo. Now, a quiz: which emblem is the first one that you can see when starting the game? The answer is... Ayre's
emblem, which appears during the first loading screen. The emblem represents what Ayre is, a Coral
wave mutation, and my interpretation of her AC name is that, just as an echo is a reflection of a wave
on a surface, the AC Echo is the reflection of the wave mutation Ayre, through which she can act in the
real world. For the final part of the video, let's have a look at the independent mercenaries: Sulla's
"Entangle" is depicted as three serpents swallowing each other, and the colors of the three serpents
perfectly mirror the color of the AC. A possible interpretation is that the snakes symbolize the
fratricidal fate of Sula: as a first generation enhanced human, he is known to have killed other
augmented hounds before meeting 621, and now lives only for the hunt. Now, I have no idea what's
going on with the emblem of Coldcall's AC "Deadsled", but I love it. It's inspired by an heraldic
standard, depicting a sinister creature: it has a lion's tail, human hands holding a sword, wheels,
and a flame-breathing skull for a head. I can see some symbolism for an Armored Core here: a deadly
weapon of war made up of human and machine. Coldcall's main occupation is assassination, after all,
and "deadsled" is a slang term for a hearse. Nosaac's "Bitter Promise" is probably named after his owner
bad habit of taking on debts that he never intends to repay, but I think something interesting is
going on with its emblem: it depicts a figure with two weapons, but they do not match the weapons
that Bitter Promise uses. the weapons resemble a laser blade and a Karasawa rifle, but they don't
perfectly match any current or past Armored Core weapon. However, the emblem is a very close match
for the weapons used by Reconfig, V.V Hawkin's AC, as he is the only pilot in the game to use an
energy rifle and laser blade combination. So, this is what happens if we try swapping the emblems
between the two pilots: the AC's color scheme matches, Hawkins emblem seems to go together a
bit better with Bitter Promise's weapons, and it also fits well with Nosaac's habit of always buying
the latest technology for his AC. Given all the clues, I think it's possible that the emblems were
originally designed this way, and swapped around later in development, maybe to better fit the
Vesper's aesthetic, or for other reasons entirely. And finally we have the last three AC's, part of
the Branch group: both Umber Ox's name and the name of its pilot Chartreuse seem to reference colors:
Cartreuse is a French liquor that comes in both a green and a yellow variety, just like the colors of
the AC, and the name eventually became associated with different shades of greenish yellow. Umber
is also a color, a shade of brown that can be approximated by mixing the previous two colors.
And the ox probably refers to the sheer weight of the AC. Chartruse is the only pilot who uses
the massive V-42 legs, and she possibly stole the designs herself from The Arquebus Advanced
Development Division. Aster Crown's emblem has quite the noble history behind it: it can be found
in Claude Paradin's "Devises Heroïques", the earliest known collection of heraldic devices, also known as badges or emblems,
first printed in 1551. The devices were used as a mark of ownership by the nobility, and every
device has an associated motto, which in this case is "Monstran Regibus astra Viam", "The Star shows the
way to the Kings": King being Aster Crown's pilot, and Aster meaning star in Greek. And last but not
least it's "Nightfall" piloted by Raven. I already talked in the last video about about the names
Vesper, Nightfall, and the Dawn theme associated with Rusty. What I can add is that Raven is the name
associated one way or another with every player character in the entirety of the Armored Core
Series. Here, 621 initially steals his callsign and a ruined version of his emblem, but Raven it's
more than a callsign: it's a title, passed down by generations of mercenaries, and when we finally
see the original Raven emblem this is beautifully referenced in the image of the raven plucking a feather
from a dead companion, as if inheriting their will. And, before closing this video, I have kind
of a crazy theory regarding why this group of mercenaries is called Branch. It's a bit off, but
do follow me: Branch sets the plot of the game in motion. They are the group responsible for leaking
the information that the Coral is still alive on Rubicon, and they attack Station 31, the very
same station we fight either Ayre or All Mind on, thus weakening the Closure System and possibly
allowing us to reach Rubicon in the first place. If you watched my previous video I put forward the
idea that the Rubicon Liberation Front logo might depict the biblical Noah, as supported by the names
used by father dolmayan and his AC. in the Book of Genesis, Noah in its ark needs to know whether the
waters subsided after the great flood, and so he sends two birds to scout for dry land: a dove, and,
before that, a raven. Rubicon tree suffered offered something akin but opposite to a flood: the Fires
of Ibis, which all but eradicated the Coral. But, just like the flood eventually ended and the land
started to emerge again, so the Fires ended, and the Coral started to propagate anew, which is the
message that Branch sent out. What message is sent out to Noah, then, to let him know that the flood
ended and that the land is emerging again? The dove delivered this message and it came in the form of
a olive branch. As I said, these are just some of the possible interpretations of the emblems and
names used. There is an undeniable charm to From Software's way of storytelling, much of which is to
be found in the intended vagueness and openness to interpretation of the lore elements. The best
thing about it, if you ask me, is the way it pushes players to come together as a community to find
the meaning behind these clues, and that's also what makes putting together these videos so much
fun. So, please, do let me know what you think I got right, what I got wrong, what your interpretation
is. Thank you so much for watching, bye-bye
