Daishi (BattleMech)

In the BattleTech universe and its related MechWarrior game series, the Dire Wolf class OmniMech was christened the Daishi (A mistranslation of Great Death into Japanese) by a member of the Draconis Combine.

In The Board Game
The Daishi is a favorite of Clan Smoke Jaguar, who have used it to deadly effect against the Draconis Combine during the initial Clan invasion of 3050. Only one has been rumored to have been salvaged by Kurita forces, although how they managed such a feat is unknown.

In truth, Hohiro Kurita out-bid and tricked the clans on the planet of Wolcott. He created new units with veteran pilots thus making his force appear less experienced that it actually was. He also chose the battle site, which was a swampy delta region. He "bet" the clan leader the planet vs. several front line clan 'Mechs, some elemental battle suits, and a promise that the clans would never invade Wolcott, ever. The Kuritan forces won the battle and won the clan 'Mechs, battle armor, and the pledge of the planet being free from attack. That is how they got their first Daishi.

Later, the Draconis Combine military, with Wolf's Dragoons and The Kell Hounds mercenary units, salvaged dozens if not hundreds of 'Mechs after the Draconis Combine defeated the clans when the clans tried to invade Luthien, the capital world of the Draconis Combine.

See the Blood of Kerensky trilogy for references to these two incidents.

With 50.5 tons of weapon pod space, the Daishi can equal any foe in firepower. In its primary configuration, it carries four ER Large Lasers, supplemented by two Class Five Ultra Autocannons, four medium pulse lasers, and a rack of 15 Clan Long Range Missiles.

In Videogames
The Clan Daishi is one of the most powerful Assault 'Mechs in the video games in which it appears. In MechWarrior 4, no other Mech except the Inner Sphere's Fafnir and Anihilator can carry equal firepower. Its only disadvantages are its slow speed, lack of agility, and somewhat weak armor, only 14.5 tons, in its Mechwarrior 4 incarnation, though prior games gave it the full allowable allotment of armor. As an omnimech, it can be heavily modified as to suit unique purposes, like increasing its armor and giving it powerful short range weapons to be effective up close, or be equipped with long range weaponry and higher than usual speed for a Daishi so as to be able to stay out of range of other mechs, all the while being able to shoot enemy mechs with its high range. Its default armament is powerful enough for a standard assault role, but it can fill in other roles as well. It's primary configuration in MechWarrior 4 is, 4 ER Large Lasers, 4 ER Medium Pulse Lasers, 1 Clan LRM 10, 2 Clan Ultra AC 5, and 2 Clan Machine Gun Arrays.