| “ | Due to its massive size, it has unrivaled defensive and regenerative powers. Any effort to take down Gathervira would require strength in numbers. Since it is necessary to enter the mountain to take it down, an pilot wishing to defeat it must have their machine in peak condition.” |
| — Gathervira Description • Blaster Master Zero 2 website |
“The Mountain of Chaos” Gathervira is a mutant boss, and the boss of Planet Montoj in Blaster Master Zero 2. Shortly after defeating Zavira, Jason, Eve, and Fred exit Zavira's dungeon, and encounter his real form, Gathervira. Because of the huge size of this mutant, Jason knows that he can't fight the boss with Gaia-SOPHIA on its own. Luckily, help comes in the form of Gonbei, Tae, and their Metal Attacker, Kuebiko, and with their help, Gathervira is soon reduced to rubble.
Physical Appearance[]
Gathervira is made to be like a large stone golem, with trees adorning its body. Gathervira's feet have rock-like spikes on the bottom of them, which it reveals while walking, four door-like entrances are located around the larger hole on the mountainous mutant, one on each hand, one on top, and one located under its eyes. A large crystal adorns the top of its head, which is actually the heart of Gathervira. The larger hole contains multiple eyes varying in size, with the largest one being able to fire beams from it.
In Blaster Master Zero 3, a miniature version of Gathervira appears, resembling its larger counterpart, and it comes in different color palettes depending on where it is encountered.
Strategy[]
| “ | Eve: Focus on shooting the stone on Gathervira's head! That's its heart, and it will stop moving when that spot takes damage! Tae: Then ya gotta get yer butt inside it 'n' beat up all the Zavira copies! |
| — "Gathervira" Eve Chat (Planet Montoj Fight) |
Gathervira's fight progresses in alternating phases of ascending the colossal mutant's height with the Hover ability and bombarding the gem in its head, and entering each catacomb door while it is stunned (during which the boss slowly regenerates lost health) and defeating each rematch with Zavira within. The order in which doors are entered is irrelevant; the presence of spiked floors and multiple Zaviras escalates with each successive one entered.
Gathervira will frustrate the player's attempts to maintain an attack on its gem with two primary attack patterns: lightning fired from its eye cluster that tracks Gaia-SOPHIA's current position, and meteors launched from the background that fall in a destructible screen seconds later. It will also stomp about throughout the fight, threatening to damage the player on the arena's floor with spikes in its feet despite the remainder of its legs being a background asset.
After three of the four catacomb sub-boss battles are cleared, Gathervira will begin retracting the ledges throughout its body away from the foreground as a further periodic response to the player getting into firing position. During the fight on Planet Montoj, Kuebiko will stun-lock Gathervira with its cannon and launch holographic bamboo shoots into the arena floor that will allow Gaia-SOPHIA to rapidly get back into position with Recoil Jump; no such support is given during the critical health phase of the rematch on Planetoid G-2, but the Repulsion Upper can be used for a rapid ascent if there is SP to spare.
Related Quotes[]
| “ | Eve: Concentrate on Gathervira's head... Shoot the stone! That's its heart! Do that, and it will stop moving around! Jason: Then I just need to get inside and defeat the Zavira clones...!” |
| — "Gathervira" Eve Chat (Planetoid G-2 Refight) |
Gallery[]
