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The Zaiva (ザイーバ zaiiba) is an original fighter in the Xeno Fighters series. Its weaponry is mostly derived from Mao-Mao's fighters in the Aero Fighters series and the Griffin from the Raiden Fighters series.


Development history[]

The Zaiva is an original ship designed, modeled, and named by Isotoxin. It replaced the Gemini Red from V.A.F. Squadron. The Wide Beam bomber was changed into the current Caladbolg Wave in Xeno Fighters R. Custom sprites were later made by Herr Schatten.

Name origin[]

The name Zaiva comes from ZAIVA DI ZANOLA IVANO, an Italian company specializing in industrial dyes.

The weapons are all named for legendary weapons in Irish myth. Fragarach, the Answerer, was a sword held by several great heroes, such as Lugh and Cuchulainn, which could cut through shields and walls, and placed the winds at the command of the wielder. Brionac, or Luisne, was the spear of Lugh, capable of fighting on its own, but also so blood-thirsty that even in peace it would fight, if not kept immersed in poppy juice. Caladbolg, the greatsword of Fergus mac Roiche, left a wake like a rainbow as it cut, and was perfectly capable of cutting away hilltops and destroying entire hosts with one slash.

Backstory[]

The newest of the main fighters sent against BRES, the Zaiva was not developed until 2033, three years after the Keto War. It was designed with high attack capability in mind, usually to be supported by Xelcor. Pilots tend to be wary about piloting it; the Zaiva uses an experimental matter compression technology derived from fallen Keto craft to store more Brionac missiles and generate the massive amounts of energy needed for its other weapons. This results in the Zaiva being rather more unsafe than usual. A pilot of a shot Amada Vipros, Xelcor, or Phyxius might have time to jettison out before their fighter crumbles. A Zaiva pilot would be obliterated almost instantly by the energy released by the shock of their ship being compromised.

Description[]

Blessed with a very rapid main shot and focused power, the Zaiva is an adept at taking down strong enemies quickly. The bad news is that it doesn't have much in the way of shot coverage, although Brionac does a fair job of compensating for that when active. In addition, it is not as fast as most of the other fighters. Its bomb attacks the entire screen and burns bullets for about three seconds, but in return doesn't do a lot of damage. Perhaps more than the Amada and Phyxius, using the Zaiva well will ask you to remember where stronger enemies appear on-screen.

Loadout[]

XFR ZaivaLaser

The Fragarach's Trident Laser weapon slicing through all in its path.

Laser weapon[]

Fragarach's Trident: Generates a fan of purple lasers that fire straight ahead and pierce all enemies, whether destroyed by the lasers or not. It doesn't have a particularly fast recharge, though.

Missile weapon[]

Brionac Missile Pod: Deploys several small satellites that quickly aim at the nearest enemy (they usually try to aim at different foes), shoot several rockets, than fall away off-screen. It can lead fast-moving targets to shoot them with almost certainty. Brionac is the Zaiva's best bet at taking down enemies in several parts of the screen, although its recharge isn't much better than Fragarach's.

Bomber[]

XFR ZaivaBomber

The Caladbolg Wave bomber saving Zaiva in a pinch. The Brionac Missile Pods are also shown.

Caladbolg Wave: Emits a shockwave of purple energy that radiates across the entire screen. Not especially powerful, but it does a fine job of clearing out nearby weaker enemies and all bullets while it's intact. The Zaiva is invincible 1 second after releasing this bomber.

Slaves[]

Standard Raiden F: This are the standard slave type used in the Raiden Fighters games.

Unlock requirements[]

Active from beginning.

Screenshot gallery[]

Xf07

The Zaiva and other original fighters as they appeared in Xeno Fighters EX (2003)

XFR SelectScreen Zaiva

The Zaiva's ship select screen portrait in Xeno Fighters R (2020).

Playable fighters
Original ships Amada ViprosPhyxiusZaivaXelcorDivine GaleBronze Kolibri
Seibu Kaihatsu guests Raiden mk-IIJudge SpearRaiden mk-IIβBlue JavelinDark SwordMiclusLasercopter
Psikyo guests A6M ZeroX-36TengaiP38 LightningTwin MustangMarionYuan-Nang
Capcom guests P-38Stearman E75Michelle HeartKevin WalkerMega Man
Konami guests Vic ViperTwinBeeLord BritishHikaruGrey Layer
Raizing/Eighting guests MiyamotoSilver SwordWild Snail
Namco guests GyaragaSolvalou
Tecmo guests CastorPollux
Other guests MiriaHoplonR-9LeoOpa-OpaInfernal IrisCore CannonAstro SlugTC-17 Twin Cobra
Related pages Removed ships
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