Medal

A first-stage Kabuto Medal as it appears in the anime.

A Medal (メダル) is a small, hexagonal, coin-like object that contains an artificial intelligence. The Medal works as the "brain" of a Medarot, becoming active when placed inside a Tinpet or Medarotch.

There are many different types of Medals, and the type is usually represented by a stylized image on its front face. This image can change as the Medal matures; the picture on a Kabuto Medal, for example, starts as a larva, but transforms into a full-grown beetle as the Medal becomes more experienced.

Different types of Medals work better with different kinds of parts. The Kabuto Medal is geared towards shooting and ranged attacks, while others such as the Mermaid Medal, are more suited to support. (In the games, this is referred to as the Medal's Attribute.) For maximum effectiveness, a Medarotter should know what kind of Medal their Medarot is using, and choose parts that will compliment that Medal's particular specialty.

Along with their names and images, different Medal types can be codified by the letter or symbol printed at the top of their front face. The Kuwagata Medal has the letter "A", the Kabuto Medal is "B", the Mermaid Medal is "N", and so on. (Which letter refers to which Medal depends on the media in question, as some of the games featured different Medal lists.)

History

The original Medals were not man-made, and instead were found as fossils deep within earth. They are thought to be extraterrestrial in origin, left behind by an ancient race of sentient robots.

After it was discovered that the Medals contained a form of artificial intelligence, work began on developing robots that could make use of them (leading to the invention of Medarots). When the supply of original Medals became scarce, production began for man-made Medals that could be mass-produced. By the time the series takes place, the vast majority of Medals used are man-made replicas, however some intact original Medals still exist and are referred to as "Rare Medals" (レアメダル).

Medaforce

Main article: Medaforce

Some Medals can use a special ability known as Medaforce (メダフォース). The type of Medaforce may depend on the Medal, for example the Kabuto and Kuwagata Medals release powerful attacks, while other Medals might use their Medaforce to increase the abilities of themselves or their allies.

In the anime and manga series, use of Medaforce abilities is mostly limited to Rare Medals, due to them containing hidden information that the man-made Medals did not replicate (although in the anime series, some man-made Medals can unlock their Medaforce when placed in intense situations). In the game series, any Medal can use Medaforce so long as it is being used with a Medarotch that supports the feature.

In the games

In Medarot 2 Core

Each Medal has the following:

• One Attribute which gives the Medal's stated ROS Bonus to parts with matching Attributes.
• One Aim Type which determines what kinds of enemy Parts the Medarot is most likely to target.
• Three Medaforces learned at Lv10, Lv30 and Lv60.
• Skill points pre-grown between three and eight Skill types.
• Eight turns of Auto Battle programming and setup of a loop-back point.

Unlike most games in the series (which simply give each Medal three Skills), 2 Core allows Medals to grow in all eight Skills. However, it is not recommended to force a Medal to grow its skills from 0 as Medals stop growing at Lv99. Instead one should match Parts with those Skills already grown.

In Medarot Navi

Each Medal has the following:

• One Attribute which gives the Medal's stated ROS Bonus to parts with matching Attributes.
• One Aim Type which determines what kinds of enemy Parts the Medarot is most likely to target.
• Three Medaforces learned at Lv10, Lv30 and Lv60.
• Three Skills that grow when matching parts are used.
• Eight turns of Auto Battle programming and setup of a loop-back point.

The expanded battle system in Navi adds movement options as well.