Leonhardt

Leonhardt
General information
Classification	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation and military information
Affiliation	Rosenthal
Occupation	Lynx
Rank	Original # 4
Craft	NEXT Noblesse Oblige
Eras present	National Dismantlement War Lynx War
Known battles	Battle at the Abandoned City
Real world information
Appearances	Armored Core 4
Voice actor	André Sogliuzzo (US)

"I swear, I won't lose!"

— Leonhardt in Marche Au Supplice

Leonhardt is a Lynx appearing in Armored Core 4. He is ranked as the #4 Original and serves as Rosenthal's greatest military asset. Renown as a noble and honorable pilot fighting for justice, his NEXT Noblesse Oblige has become Rosenthal's key symbol. The NEXT unit strikes quickly and with devastating results using its O307AB laser cannons.

Biography

Leonhardt is an Original who had previously served during the National Dismantlement War. Since this time he had risen through the ranks and proven himself as a capable Rosenthal pilot. With the ensuing conflict of the Lynx War, he was dispatched to engage Berlioz's Rayleonard unit with the help of Omer's Mido Auriel. While the two Lynx pilots put forth their best efforts, they were outnumbered and defeated before Anatolia's Mercenary could arrive as a reinforcement. This coordination between Omer and Rosenthal would cement their future collaboration and ensure that the two companies work together well into the Economic War. While Leonhardt passed away, his NEXT's legacy lived on through the Rosenthal pilot, Gerald Gendlin.

Quotes

• Marche Au Supplice
  • "You made it! Thanks for coming. Sorry, they've got us outnumbered. Let's get to it."
  • "Alright, 1 is a start. That leaves 3 to go."
  • "I swear, I won't lose!"
  • "Alright, another 1 down. Just 1 to go."
  • ^{(Upon receiving heavy damage)} "Not yet! I'm not through yet!"
  • ^{(Upon defeat)} "Is this it? I'm sorry... finish this, for me..."

Personality

Leonhardt is shown as being a humble and honorable Lynx pilot. During the mission Marche Au Supplice, he is shown to be both kind and welcoming to to the the Mercenary's assistance.

NEXT Noblesse Oblige

File:NEXT Noblesse Oblige.jpg

NEXT Noblesse Oblige

A consummate example of Rosenthal's philosophy on quality-over-quantity, Noblesse Oblige is an all-white NEXT based on the standard TYPE-HOGIRE model. The AC's main, handheld weapons consisted of a standard Rosenthal rifle and a medium-powered Omer laser blade.

The most distinguishing aspect of Noblesse Oblige is its two back-mounted triple laser cannons. Created by Omer, they are similar to the Sirius Hi-Laser cannons, albeit weaker. They compensated for this by firing from each cannon of the 3 cannons per shot. These weapons strongly resemble wings, giving the NEXT more than a passing resemblance to the angels of myth, and also served as especially powerful weapons at the same time.

Parts

• Head: HD-HOGIRE
• Core: CR-HOGIRE
• Arms: AM-HOGIRE
• Legs: LG-HOGIRE
• FCS: FS-HOGIRE
• Generator: GN-HOGIRE
• Main Booster: CB-HOGIRE
• Back Booster: LB-HOGIRE
• Side Booster: AB-HOGIRE
• Over Booster: KB-PALLAS
• Arm Unit R: MR-R100R
• Arm Unit L: EB-O305
• Back Unit R: EC-O307AB
• Back Unit L: EC-O307AB
• Shoulder: None
• Hangar R: None
• Hangar L: None
• Head Stabilizers
  • Head Top: None
  • Head R Side: HD-HOGIRE-OPT01
  • Head L Side: HD-HOGIRE-OPT01
• Core Stabilizers
  • Core R Upper: LG-HOGIRE-OPF01
  • Core L Upper: LG-HOGIRE-OPF01
  • Core R Lower: None
  • Core L Lower: None
• Arm Stabilizers
  • Arm Right: None
  • Arm Left: AM-HOGIRE-OPE01
• Leg Stabilizers
  • Legs Back: None
  • Legs R Upper: None
  • Legs L Upper: None
  • Legs R Middle: None
  • Legs L Middle: None
  • Legs R Lower: None
  • Legs L Lower: None

Gameplay

He is encountered as an ally in Marche Au Supplice on Normal Mode. On Normal Mode, he is a capable ally who can assist the player in the otherwise-challenging fight against Berlioz and his NEXT squad.

On Hard Mode, he and Mido Auriel, have already been annihilated by the enemy forces by the time the player arrives. This leaves the player to fight all four of Berlioz's squad alone.

In-Game Information

• In-Game Biography
  • Rosenthal's only Original. His consistent record of success on the battlefield stands as a justification of the Company's extreme quality-over-quantity philosophy.

Strategy

Due to a flaw in the combat AI, Leonhardt will never fire both Tri-cannons at once, therefore making it easier for the player, and with only one assault rifle and laser blade, he is not much of a threat otherwise. It is often best to equip the SIRIUS Hi-laser to defeat him.

Etymology

The name Leonhardt is a surname of Germanic descent. The name is also a variation of the name Lionheart which may refer to the title bestowed upon Richard I of England. The term Lionheart refers to the honor and courage of the lion as a revered beast. Given that Leonhardt's emblem is a shield bearing the lion, this meaning appears to have been the intended by the developers of Armored Core 4.

The name Noblesse Oblige is a French phrase literally meaning "Nobility Obliges". It is the concept that nobility extends beyond mere entitlements and requires the person with such status to fulfill social responsibilities, particularly in leadership roles. This is reflected by Leonhardt's humble nature and his desire to take on a dangerous mission.

Trivia

• Leonhardt's Noblesse Oblige was featured heavily in the first trailers of Armored Core 4. Despite this, both Leonhardt and his NEXT play a rather small role in the game. In addition, the trailer version of Noblesse Oblige featured the MR-R102 instead of the in-game MR-R100R. The trailer version is replicated in Gerald Gendlin's Noblesse Oblige in Armored Core: For Answer.
• The quote in Leonhardt's emblem is a reference to the Bible verse Luke 12:48. It is taken from the phrase "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required" (KJV). This mirrors the name of Noblesse Oblige, which translates to "Nobility Obliges". This essentially means that one who is considered noble should present themselves as such.
• Leonhardt's emblem is reused as the "shield" that the knight holds in Gerald Gendlin's emblem. This refers to Noblesse Oblige being "inherited" to another generation.
• In AC4's simulator mode, when you get up close and start blading with Leonhardt, he'll rarely use anything else besides his blade. Whether this was intentional or not is unknown, but it may be as a reference to knights accepting a blade duel. Leonhardt is the only pilot who will do this in simulator mode.
• The words at the bottom of the shield on his emblem read "much is given, much be required".