King Oni

The King Oni was a heavy anti-armour walker developed by the Empire of the Rising Sun during War of the Three Powers.

Background
"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.

Properties
The "eyes" of this robot conceal energy weapons that can reduce a tank to molten ruin in seconds. The weapon seems to produce large recoil in shooting. King Oni are also remarkably capable of fighting with their 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. It appears to be piloted, since Allied Spies can bribe it, as well as the fact that Yoshiro personally piloted one during Operation: To Tame A Living God (Soviet-perspective, arguably non-canon). The only thing that seems obvious about the King Oni is its combat proficiency.

One 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 numbers. Military strategists surmise that it is impossible for the Empire of the Rising Sun to have constructed more than a handful of these remarkable machines, simply due to the resources required to produce them. The research-and-development costs alone must have been staggering, and the Empire would likely be deploying more of these battle walkers if it could. However, the credibility of intelligence regarding the Empire's production capacity currently seems somewhat dubious.

Counters
In terms of armor and firepower, the King Oni is equal the Soviet Apocalypse Tank, but will still lose to it in one-on-one fight because the King Oni has a somewhat slower animation when it starts to attack, though the Apocalypse Tank will still lose nearly all but a sliver of its health in the fight. If Apocalypse Tank uses its Magnetic Harpoon, it will win with much greater ease. The King Oni is faster, however, so Soviet players must be aware of flanking by the King Oni. It must be noted that in term of mobilization, the Allies' Assault destroyer wins due to their amphibious nature and their grip over the Chronosphere.

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. A Terror drone team's special ability and the Tesla trooper's secondary mode can significantly immobilized it. Rogue Oni can be handled with ease by Rocket angel lashes.

Also the Oni's very power and size singles them out in combat, and they 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 historically has proven to be a deadly mistake that always results in obliteration.

Deployment History
In the Allied Campaign, it is first seen on the Rock of Gibraltar and is destroyed by Tanya. They later (unsuccessfully) defended the Floating Fortress in the North Sea, and the Empire's military installations in Tokyo.

In the Soviet Campaign, it was a formidable foe, rivaling the Apocalypse Tank, but was easy prey for Twinblade helicopters, which rained bullets and rockets on it. Hammer tanks were no match for them. V4 Rocket Launchers and Dreadnoughts easily destroyed them before they could react. First introduced by Tatsu during the Soviet reoccupation of their naval base, they become staple of Empire's heavy, but crushable army. Terror drones could tear them into pieces from the inside and, of course, whenever a Kirov caught up to one (which was very unlikely), a few bombs ended its reign. Yoshiro had a modified King Oni which could shoot down air units with missiles but even this mighty titan went up in flames when destroyed by Apocalypse Tanks and Twinblades. Soviet Commanders also admit its Bull Rush made the walker a devastating foe. The Magnetic Harpoons and grinders of an Apocalypse Tank can very rapidly reduce the very expensive King Oni into nothing more than scrap metal, as can of course, the Grinders of the Grinder Tank. Should a Hammer Tank succeed in dismantling it with its magnetic weapon, Hammer Tank will gain the King Oni's head on its left side which shot the Oni's beam.

In the Imperial Perspective, the King Oni's first deployment into active combat duty is to assist not one, but two Yuriko Omegas, one presumed a clone of the Empire's Psychic Commando, in holding off the Soviets and Allies at Yokohama Bay in Operation: Barbarians in the Bay, before the counterattack was launched, pushing back both the Allies and Soviets. In the final mission, two elite King Onis were ordered by the Imperial Commander to destroy the Futuretech Lab in Amsterdam after it unleashed an as-yet-unknown superweapon as a last resort, destroying both Imperial bases, Allied survivors and the remaining Soviets. As the war ended in an Imperial victory, a King Oni was reported to be using its Radiant eyelasers to eliminate the flags of the now-defeated Allied Forces, replacing them with Imperial Standards as grim reminders of just how far the Empire of the Rising Sun will go to drown in their own blood any enemy who dare oppose their Divine Destiny.

Pros

 * Powerful armour that rivals even Apocalypse Tanks.
 * Lasers are more powerful than Assault Destroyer guns and Spectrum cannons.
 * Infamous Bull Rush that instantly destroys lower tier vehicles and does heavy damage even to tier 3 armour
 * Runs Faster when using a bull rush
 * Can survive multiple hits from an advanced Base Defense.
 * Slightly faster rate of fire than the Mirage tank or the Apocalypse tank
 * Faster than the Apocalypse Tank.
 * Damaging against Structures like all advanced anti armor vehicles.
 * Crushes small vehicles and infantry while using Bull Rush (its strength and weakness)

Cons

 * Expensive (2000)
 * Tier 3
 * Can not attack air units.
 * Aircraft (especially Crycopters, Twinblades, Vindicators) are threat to King Oni
 * Can not crush tanks or Tesla Troopers unless using the Bull rush
 * Fast moving units can easily evade the Bull rush
 * Can repair itself ONLY when Heroic level is achieved by the mech (unlike Apocalypse Tank or Future Tank X-1)
 * Vulnerable to commandos
 * Can be bribed by a Spy
 * If a shrunk King Oni uses Bull rush against an enemy vehicle, it will crash onto it and be destroyed.
 * Vulnerable to V4 Rocket Launcher, Athena Cannon, Dreadnought, Aircraft Carrier and other long-range bombardment units.
 * Bull Rush Have an Average Delay

Greater King Oni
Emperor Yoshiro possesses the original King Oni that only he himself is allowed to pilot

This King Oni has missile pods for AA-purposes, which possessed an extremely high rate of fire, giving it a very effective AA defense (this means that unlike the normal varieties, it is better to use a ground attack than attack it from the air), upgraded armour and Rising Sun insignia all over it. Its lasers were also more powerful than any standard King Oni faced thus far.

Likely as the original prototype and the personal machine of the Emperor, no expense was spared in its creation and maintenance. From his final transmission to the Soviet General, it appears that the Emperor was bionically linked with the machine, suggesting that all King Onis have some sort of cockpit and allow the pilot to move as if it were their own body (which explains the humanoid appearance).

Although Emperor Yoshiro was thought to possess the only one, another was seen under the command of Kenji during the Uprising, along with several other normal King Oni's. But it was destroyed by the Futuretech Commander.

This King Oni is playable in a Red Alert 3 Mod Shock Therapy.

Commander Kenji's King Oni
During the Allied Campaign in Osaka, Commander Kenji's modified King Oni appears, housed inside his luxurious estate. He uses it as a last resort to fight the Allies along with a small battalion of his men. When his estate is destroyed, he unleashes his modified battle walker with a reverse-engineered Tech inhibitor from the Allies.

This variant has a different color scheme; mainly black and yellow with the usual red sunburst insignia of the Empire on its shoulders. He also modified its energy weapons to fire with more power, capable of killing with as much force as a veteran King Oni.

Quotes

 * SHUT UP!


 * They're bothering me!


 * Who has awakened me?!!


 * To the slaughter!
 * Embrace death!

Trivia
"To Cinders!"

- King Oni


 * In the Red Alert 3 intro cinematic it is seen firing its eye lasers at a Kirov. However, the King Oni is unable to damage air targets ingame. The cinematic also depicts that King Oni as much larger than it is ingame (however, since many units in Red Alert 3 are deliberately not to scale with each other, this may be the King Oni's actual size).
 * Note that Natasha's special ability will only disable the Emperor's King Oni. You will have to force attack on it after it is disabled to complete the mission. Also, this King Oni, when disabled, cannot be captured.
 * A poll on the Red Alert 3 website suggested that players 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.
 * In Japanese folklore, an Oni is a demon or ogre, sometimes, they are portrayed as evil beings, but other times, they are also portrayed as benign creatures, such as being the guardians of important, holy sites.
 * The King Oni's design is reminiscent to that of an armored samurai.