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Heaven's net is wide, but lets nothing through.
—Norio warns his enemies

Norio Tomokawa (友川 紀夫, Tomokawa Norio) is the hero of the Pacific Front.

Official description[]

After graduating from Waseda University, Tomokawa initially found employment as a police officer assigned to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Anti-Riot Squad division before joining the Japanese Rocketeer division. Due to his outstanding acts of courage in the field, Norio quickly rose through the ranks, eventually being selected as the prime candidate for the Pacific Front's latest developments in armored flight suits, possible thanks to the Kanegawa Industries' involvement.

Norio uses the "Garuda" power armor of which only a few were made. Capable of flying at incredible speeds, Norio is well-equipped to deal with air and ground threats, freezing enemy infantry with a built-in cryo rifle and destroying enemy armor and aircraft with a burst of guided missiles. The suit allows Norio to resist an amazing amount of anti-aircraft fire, though concentrated fire will eventually overwhelm him.[1]

Overview[]

Behold, the sun rises!
—Norio on the offensive

Hailing from the Pacific Front, Norio is what one would expect from a jack-of-all-trades hero unit. He is able to effectively fight almost any threat in the game on an one-on-one basis and easily emerge as the victor, provided his target is not equipped with heavy anti-air ordnance.

Norio can be easily described as a Rocketeer on steroids. He is among one of the fastest units in the game (his flight speed rivals that of the Hummingbird) and his arsenal is kitted towards devastating hit-and-run attacks from the air while leaving his opponents almost no opportunities to react if they are not prepared for his arrival. The Garuda Power Armor he wears is also relatively more durable than the Rocketeer's flight suit which allows him to shoulder anti-air fire for longer periods of time, at least to a slight degree.

The Thermal Inversion Rifle that Norio utilizes easily devastates all but the heaviest infantry units while adding a side effect of temporarily slowing them down. Even squads of foot soldiers capable of firing back at him will not be able to retaliate effectively, as Norio can easily out-range and out-maneuver their projectiles provided his commander can micromanage his movements constantly. He can also engage other flying infantry units, such as rogue Rocketeers and Gyrocopters, with them and with deadly efficiency. His other weapon intended for anti-armor incursions, the Arashi Missiles, are universally effective against all other non-infantry units and structures - even the Soviet Union's mighty Kirov Airships will be destroyed by them in a handful of barrages.

Thanks to this flexibility and speed, Norio can be a force to be reckoned with in the hands of a competent Pacific Front commander. All these advantages do not make Norio invincible however. Despite being more durable than Rocketeers, it is still wise for him to avoid units that specialize in heavy anti-air, such as Sentinels and Gehenna Platforms. While he is decent against buildings, he can't out-range AA defences and cannot expect to duel them without risking himself being shot down or suffering immense damage in the process.

AI behavior[]

Norio controlled by the AI have the following attack patterns:

All difficulties[]

  • 1x targeting everything, accompanied by 2 Rocketeers

Appearances[]

Main article: Norio/Character

Assessment[]

Pros Cons
  • Effective against all types of unit and structures.
  • Extremely mobile, fastest flying unit in the game.
  • Very effective at harassing enemy units.
  • Can attack both aerial and ground targets.
  • Fast rate of fire.
  • Can self-heal.
  • Being a hero, cannot be mind-controlled, as well as immune to confusion rays.
  • Still very fragile.
  • Cannot outrange most AA weapons.
  • Vulnerable to any anti-aircraft fire.
  • Only one may be present at a time.

Trivia[]

  • He is a direct reference to the Japanese voice actor Norio Wakamoto: his last name is a simple reversal of "Wakamoto" and his voice and background closely resemble that of Wakamoto's.
  • Norio is the only Allied hero that is not available in the Infantry Only game mode.
  • Norio is the only hero unit that does not have specific panic quotes when he comes under intense fire.

See also[]

References[]

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