Medal
A Medal (メダル) is a small, hexagonal, coin-like object containing an artificial intelligence. It serves as the "brain" of a Medarot, becoming active when inserted into a Tinpet or Medarotch.
There are various types of Medals, each typically represented by a stylized image on its front face. This image can evolve as the Medal matures; for instance, the picture on a Kabuto Medal initially resembles a larva but transforms into a fully developed beetle as the Medal gains experience.
Different Medal types are more compatible with specific kinds of parts. For example, the Kabuto Medal excels in shooting and ranged attacks, while others like the Mermaid Medal are better suited for support roles. This distinction is known as the Medal's Attribute. To optimize performance, a Medarotter should be aware of their Medarot's Medal type and select parts that complement its unique strengths.
In addition to their names and images, different Medal types are identified by a letter or symbol printed at the top of their front face. The Kuwagata Medal is denoted by the letter "A," the Kabuto Medal by "B," and the Mermaid Medal by "N," among others. The specific letter associated with each Medal depends on the context, as various sets of Medals have been manufactured over time, typically ranging from A to Z and including a few special medals. However, more recent games starting with Medarot DS have moved away from this letter-based system.
History
The original Medals were not created by humans; instead, they were discovered as fossils deep within the earth. They are believed to have extraterrestrial origins, left behind by an ancient race of sentient robots.
Upon realizing that these Medals contained a form of artificial intelligence, efforts were made to develop robots capable of utilizing them, leading to the creation of Medarots. As the supply of original Medals dwindled, manufacturing began for man-made Medals that could be produced in large quantities. In the current era of the story, the majority of Medals in use are man-made replicas. However, some intact original Medals still exist and are known as "Rare Medals" (レアメダル).
Medaforce
- Main article: Medaforce
The Medaforce (メダフォース) ability, introduced in Medarot 2, is directly linked to the Medal used by a Medarot. All Medals can use of the Medaforce, with a maximum of three different ones, but Medarotters were only able to utilize this ability with the new Medarotch model.
In the anime and manga series, the use of Medaforce abilities is primarily limited to Rare Medals. This is because Rare Medals contain hidden information that man-made Medals do not replicate. However, in the anime series, some man-made Medals can unlock their Medaforce abilities when placed in intense situations. In Medarot Re-Reloaded, any Medal can learn Medaforce abilities, with varying rarities such as Normal, Epic, Rare, and Legend.
In the games
Each game in the Medarot series contains a variety of Medals that the player can obtain. They usually cannot be bought, and are instead found or given to the player at certain points in the story. Most of the RPGs from Medarot 3 onwards give the player the option to name their Medals, however Medarot DS does not.
Medal stats and properties
The exact way that Medal stats are handled has undergone many changes througout the series. That said, most of the RPG games give Medals the following basic parameters:
- Attribute - The category of parts that the Medal is compatible with. Medarot 1, 2, R, and 2 Core assign a different attribute to each Medal, while Medarot 3, 4, 5, and Navi use a different system with much broader categories and some overlap between Medals. Medarot DS does not feature Medal attributes.
- Compatibility bonus - A numerical value that gets added onto the success rate of all of the Medal's actions for every compatible part it has equipped. This makes it so some Medals get more benifit from using compatible parts than others. (Also not present in Medarot DS.)
- Nature or Target - Decides which Medarots or parts the Medal is more likely to aim for. In Medarot 7, some natures have added passive efects, such as increasing damage or reducing charge time.
- Level - Levels are usually gained by collecting experience points from battles. The Medal's level affects its base accuracy and damage, as well as deciding when the Medal's image changes and when it learns its Medaforce abilities. Some games (such as Medarot DS) do not use experience points, and instead use the combined levels of all of the Medal's skills as the Medal's overall level.
- Skill levels - A set of 3-10 numbers that represent how good the Medal is at performing certain actions. Each in-battle action has a skill associated with it, and the Medal's level in that skill affects the action's success rate. Skill levels are raised by repeatedly using actions that use the skill. Some games (Medarot 3, 4, Navi, DS, and 7) only allow a Medal to naturally gain levels in specified skills.
- Evolution - Related to the Medal's Level, Medals have 5 Ranks of evolution in medarot 1,2,R,3,4 and Navi. usually at Lv0 for Rank 1, Lv10 for Rank 2, Lv30 for Rank 3, Lv60 for Rank 4, and ultimately Lv100 For Rank 5. In Medarot 5 Medals can evolve into different forms
having different properties. they evolve at Lv20 with 2 differnt forms, Lv40 with 3 Different forms, and ultimately Lv60 with one to four different forms.
Other features are less universal, and are only present in some of the games:
- Medaforce or Medaskills - First added in Medarot 2. Each Medal has one to three Medaforce abilities that it can use in battle, which are unlocked when it reaches specific levels. Using Medaforce abilities requires a certain amount of Medaforce points, which can be charged up during the battle. (Medaforce is known as "Medaskill" in Medarot 5.)
- Leader Skills - Present in Medarot 5 only. These are powerful extra effects that affect the entire team when the Medal is chosen as the leader Medarot. Leader Skills are unlocked when the Medal is used as the leader Medarot in 100 battles.
- Medalias - Present in Medarot 3, 4, DS, and 7. These are small jewels placed in slots in the Medal to increase its abilities, either by raising its skills or adding other effects.
- Rotation - Added in Medarot 3, and present in all later games excluding Medarot DS. Allows the player to pre-program a set of commands for when the Medarot is set to Auto-battle. The commands can include arm or head actions, Medaforce, Medachange, and movement (in Medarot Navi). If no rotation is set, the Medarot will use random commands in Auto-battle mode.
- Other stats - Medarot 1 features three additional Medal stats (Attack, Defense, and Special) that are used to determine the Medal's nature. The stats can be altered by the player by changing which types of parts the Medarot has equipped. (See Medal stats for more information.)
