Project HAYABUSA



The Hayabusa Armor is a type of United Nations Space Command powered armor, developed independent to the MJOLNIR Project, compatible with Spartan super soldiers.

Introduction
The Hayabusa is a powered battle armor system, similar to the standard Mark VI MJOLNIR, except stemming from Project HAYABUSA as opposed to Project MJOLNIR. It was developed by RKD, an Earth-based "think tank" in the year 2536, 16 years before the Mark V entered production. It was presented to the UNSC Ordnance Committee as an answer to the self-contained powered armor problem. Advanced materials are used in the production of the Hayabusa armor reducing the weight of the current generation armor by nearly a third (at that time). It is an armor permutation in Halo 3, and like all permutations, it has no effect on gameplay.

Helmet Characteristics
The helmet features 7 angular spikes, or spokes, one to each side and the face plate is fused into a single piece and contour. The spikes are another 7 reference. The top rear guard of the helmet is pointed, revealing the protruding spike. The bottom rear, around the neck forms a sort of neck guard, like that of a samurai helmet. It has been noted for its uncanny resemblance to Ryu Hayabusa from Ninja Gaiden. The 7 spikes are always silver-white regardless of armor color. Oddly, the helmet seems to be a mere add on, rather than an actual helmet. Clips can be seen on the side of the helmet.

Shoulder Characteristics
Its shoulders are replaced by three metal plates arranged in an overlapping fashion similar to the armor of a Japanese samurai, also known as the "sode".

Chest Characteristics
The Chest armor features a thick, round "collar" piece protecting the neck, as well as an angular strip of armor that appears to be "strapped" down over the chest, featuring a small delta in the center. The Hayabusa chest piece is great for hiding the neck so it will not appear abnormally long.

Katana
As mentioned, the Katana is for aesthetic purposes only, and is only unlocked after any Achievements adding up to 1000 G. You must unlock all of the Hayabusa armor before you can unlock the Katana. Some people say that it increases the chance of getting hit, because when you're shot on the Katana your shield shimmers around it; this theory has been proven wrong. It is unusable as a weapon.

As of Title Update 2, the player needs at least 1000 G in Halo 3 in order to unlock the Katana. However, the armor piece may relock itself. The only assured way to keep it from relocking is to gather the original 49 achievements.

How To Unlock

 * Head: Obtain all 13 Halo 3 Skulls.


 * Shoulders: Obtain 9 Halo 3 Skulls.


 * Chest: Obtain 5 Halo 3 Skulls.


 * Katana: Unlock 49 of 79 Halo 3 Achievements and obtain 1000 gamerscore in Halo 3.
 * Note: The Katana is not usable as a weapon.

Trivia

 * The Hayabusa armor is the only armor that has built in white areas. This can be frustrating because some people would not want white on their armor, purely for cosmetic problems. Or, it could be very helpful if a player is going for an all white look for a free-for-all Slayer match on a snow-themed map using the coloring as camouflage. Such an advantage is only possible in a free-for-all match, however, as team colors will override the rest of the armor's color.
 * The Hayabusa armor bears a resemblance to feudal-era samurai with a little bit of ninja mixed in.
 * The Katana is the same one Ryu Hayabusa uses in the Ninja Gaiden series, the Dragon sword.
 * The armor is named after Ryu Hayabusa, protagonist of the Ninja Gaiden series and DOA Combatant. The helmet is almost an exact copy of the "ninja of the future" costume in Ninja Gaiden on the Xbox. Bungie may have put Hayabusa armor as a way of saying thanks to Team Ninja for putting Nicole-458 into Dead or Alive 4. Team Ninja, the developers of the Ninja Gaiden series and Dead or Alive series, are also mentioned in the credits for Halo 3.
 * "Hayabusa" is Japanese for Peregrine Falcon.
 * There are rumors that a player can be damaged by the Katana being hit, due to it extending from the player's back. Though this was initially true, Bungie's first update fixed this -- hitting the katana doesn't damage a player's armor anymore.
 * Hayabusa armor is the most popular armor over Xbox Live, and is even more popular when used in conjunction with the Katana.
 * McFarlane produced a Hayabusa Spartan Soldier with different colors and with interchangeable armor pieces, as well as a Katana that can be wielded in the soldier's hands, unlike in the game.