King Oni

"SHUT UP!"

- Overheard from the King Oni

The King Oni is a bipedal walker utilized by the Empire of the Rising Sun. It was formidable and Yoshiro had a personal King Oni.

History


"Who has awakened me?!"

- King Oni, roused online

No one yet knows exactly how the Empire of the Rising Sun managed to keep its outlandish army a secret for so long. The Soviet Union was taken especially by surprise, as her borders were among the first to be darkened by the Empire's shadow.

When the Empire finally revealed its military might, many top military aides in the Soviet Union quickly resigned in embarrassment, while others were incarcerated (or worse) for failing to gather sufficient data on their new enemies. Some maintain that reasonable human error caused the world's greatest military minds to fail to detect the development of Imperial forces purely designed for ambush. However, there is no satisfying explanation for how a monstrosity such as the King Oni could have been overlooked by the global intelligence community's top aides and agents until this massive battle-walker was already being put to use on the front lines. How could such a preposterous weapon, which flies in the face of decades of conventional mechanized warfare, have been developed purely in isolation? The only explanation that makes any sense is that the Allied nations and the Soviet Union were so embroiled in their own conflict that they became oblivious to the storm brewing in the far east; a storm best characterized by the unbelievable visage of the King Oni.

Deployment History
"DIE!"

- King Oni attacking enemy forces

In the Imperial Campaign, the King Onis first usage is to helped the Yuriko Sisters hold off the Soviets and Allies at Yokohama Bay, before the counterattack was launched pushing back both the Allies and Soviets. In the final mission, two elite King Oni had to destroy a Futuretech Lab after the lab unleashed an as-yet-unknown superweapon as a last resort, destroying both Imperial bases, Allied Survivors and Soviets. A King Oni latter lasered a flag and replaced it with an imperial one.

In the Soviet Campaign it was a formidable foe, but the Apocalypse Tank's cannons were more lethal than its lasers and it was easy prey for Twinblade helicopters, which rained bullets and rockets on it. Hammer Tanks could leech them (slowly), gaining their powerful lasers in the process and V4s and Dreadnoughts easily destroyed them before they could react. Terror Drones could tear them into tiny pieces from the inside and, of course, whenever a Kirov caught up to one, a few bombs ended it's reign. Yoshiro had a modified King Oni which could shoot down air units with missiles but even this mighty titan was sent up in flames by Apocalypse tanks and Twinblades. Soviet commanders also admit its bull rush was making the walker a devastating foe. The Magnetic Harpoons and grinders of an Apocalypse Tank can very, very rapidly reduce the very, very expensive King Oni, into nothing more than Scrap Metal, as can of course, the Grinders of the Grinder Tank.

In the Allied Campaign, it was first seen on the Rock of Gibraltar and was destroyed by Tanya. It was superior to the Assault Destroyer on a one-to-one basis, but proved vulnerable to air attacks and long range Athena Cannon bombardment. Cryocopters were also useful, even though it took them some time to completely freeze it. Mirage Tanks also proved to be a good counter, provided they were well-handled.

Like all units of its class, the King Oni is easy prey to Natasha's Badger Squadron Bombardment and her special ability to neutralize pilot assisted units, as well as the bribe ability of Allied Spies.

Properties


"Dare to defy ME?"

- King Oni angry at Soviet Apocalypse Tanks

It remains unknown why the Japanese military was compelled to design such an unorthodox fighting machine as this humanoid-shaped construct, which stands approximately six stories tall and evokes images of a mechanical, hulking ogre. However, battlefield performance reports of this vehicle are very sobering, and suggest that its bizarre form factor is not merely a play against enemy morale. Indeed, the King Oni's combat capabilities alone are more than enough to dampen an opposing army's spirits. The "eyes" of this robot conceal energy weapons that can reduce a tank to molten ruin in seconds. And the King Oni is remarkably capable of fighting with its own body, using its massive arms and shoulders to crush anything that stands in its way. An early battlefield report involving the King Oni suggested that just one of these robots, when faced with an entire tank platoon, simply charged the main battle tanks head-on. Their shots deflected off of the King Oni's white armor (which must be some sort of new compound), even as it barreled into the tanks, simply crushing them underfoot as though they were children's playthings.

It is currently unknown if the Oni is a piloted, remote-controlled, or autonomous vehicle because one has yet to be recovered or disassembled. The only thing that seems obvious about the King Oni is its combat proficiency. Military strategists surmise that it is almost impossible for the Empire of the Rising Sun to have constructed more than a handful of these remarkable machines. However, their credibility these days seems to be somewhat dubious.

A consolation for the enemies of the Empire of the Rising Sun is that there is almost no way that the Empire could be manufacturing the King Oni in significant supply. The research-and-development costs alone must have been staggering, and if the Empire of the Rising Sun would likely be using even more of these things if it could.

Also their very power and size makes them singled out in combat, and would surely fall against a few aircraft, as even the Empire's commanders can make the error of sending unescorted units into the front line, which history has proven to be a deadly mistake that always results in obliteration.

A poll on the Red Alert 3 website suggested that commanders are much more afraid of King Onis charging into their base than of Apocalypse Tanks heading for them. However, this was done before the game was released, so things might have changed.

Abilities
"None shall stand against the King Oni!"

- Shinzo about the King Oni after Amsterdam superweapon

Battlefield reconnaissance has revealed at least these facts about the King Oni:

• Radiant eyeblasters -- Enemy armor is no match for the King Oni's energy weapons. And anti-armor infantry divisions would have to be very brave to approach the crushing arms and legs of this monster. As a small consolation, the King Oni seems to be unable to counterattack against an airborne assault.

• Bull rush -- The King Oni can reportedly charge straight through enemy ranks, demolishing formations and leaving any survivors in complete disarray. This attack seems hopelessly destructive, yet is rarely used, as if the King Oni depends on replenishing some sort of internal energy supply in between rushes.

• Impenetrable armor -- Modern anti-armor weapons seem ineffective against the King Oni, which seems able to withstand many times more punishment than a typical main battle tank. Stopping it would likely require an intensely concentrated attack of some sort.

• Cost-prohibitive -- There is almost no way that the Empire of the Rising Sun could be manufacturing the King Oni in significant supply. The research-and-development costs alone must have been staggering, and the Empire of the Rising Sun would likely be using even more of these things if it could.

Original King Oni


"The Emperor is inside of that armor. Eliminate him!"

- Soviet AI, in the Battle of Mt. Fuji

Emperor Yoshiro was reported to possess the original King Oni that only he himself is allowed to pilot. It was deployed after the destruction of the Imperial Palace in Mount Fuji and defeats most foes in one on one fights, but was no match for massed Soviet Apocalypse Tanks, destroying the Mech (and the Emperor with it) in the end. This King Oni also had missile pods for AA-purposes, it was emblazoned in red-white and it also had upgraded armor. Its lasers were also more powerful than any standard King Oni faced thus far.

Trivia
"To Cinders!"

- King Oni

The King Oni is similar to the Brotherhood's Avatar due to the fact it's tall enough to crush tanks and it has strong lasers - only the lasers are located in its eyes, not its arm. In addition, just as the Avatar is the basis and smaller brother to the Redeemer, the King Oni also has a "brother", the Shogun Executioner.

Also, in the RA3 intro cinematic it was seen punching a Kirov. But the King Oni is unable to damage air targets in the game.

Note that Natasha's special ability cannot disable Emperor's King Oni.