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BLASTER MASTER 1 1988

Sophia 3rd, NORA MA-01, (also known as SOPHIA THE 3RD) given to Jason by Eve, is an all-terrain agile battle tank from a foreign world. It's tough enough to ignore falling damage, take several direct hits from ordnance, is more or less immune to environmental conditions, and even survive in lava for more than a couple seconds. It can jump impressively high and is highly modular. Previous versions, which presumably exist due to the "3rd", are unknown. The vehicle was constantly tinkered with after it fell into Jason's hands, undergoing several retoolings and rebuilds over the years.

In Blaster Master, Jason encounters Sophia in a massive hole after chasing a mutated Fred. Its sudden appearance is not explained in the game, and it wasn't until the canonization of the Worlds of Power novel that it gained a backstory relating to Eve.

Weapons[]

Sophia 3rd has a basic cannon that is strong enough to take out most foes in one shot. The cannon can quickly swivel in any direction and even aim upwards. The cannon can only have three shots in the air at a time. Its utility is further extended in Blaster Master Zero with upgrades allowing various focused attacks to be charged and fired.

It can stock a variety of sub-weapons, up to 99 of each in the NES and GBC games, or linked to a mutual SP bar in Zero.

Mobility[]

Sophia's jumping ability allows it to leap about four times its height. It can change direction in mid-flight, but only at half-speed should it turn around.

  • Hover Pack: Permits limited flight.
  • Dive Gear: Grants full movement in water.
  • Wall 1: Allows travel on vertical surfaces.
  • Wall 2: Allows inverted travel, letting Sophia 3rd drive on ceilings.

Games[]

MetaFight[]

The tank was originally called the MA-01 Metal Attacker in MetaFight. Sophia the 3rd originally referred to the planet where the game took place, while NORA was a satellite orbiting near the planet.

Blaster Master[]

Jason stumbled upon the vehicle when following his pet Fred down a hole.

  • Height: 4.0 m
  • Length: 6.5 m
  • Width: 6.0 m
  • Horsepower: 16,000
  • Weight: 150 tons
  • Construction: Titanium

Unlike the Japanese version, the tank is never actually given a name in the manual, although the "Sophia the 3rd NORA MA-01" display on the pause screen was left unchanged.

Worlds of Power: Blaster Master[]

The novel was the first piece of Blaster Master media to use the name "Sophia the 3rd" for the tank. It explains that Sophia 3rd auto-transfers weapon energy between Jason and the vehicle, and also states that the vehicle can jump from any surface, including semi-solids like lava. Eve brought it with her when she traveled to Earth.

Blaster Master: Enemy Below[]

Blaster Master - Enemy Below (GBC)
Blaster Master - Enemy Below

Sophia 3rd was slightly upgraded, increasing the model number to NORA MA-02 and enabling a new slate of general upgrades.

  • Hi-Jump: Further increases Sophia's jump height.
  • Engine Boost: Allows Sophia to roll forward even against high winds and powerful conveyor belts.
  • Hybrid Armor: Improves Sophia's damage absorption potential.

Blaster Master 2[]

Blaster Master 2

Sophia 3rd was upgraded to Sophia 4th, but referred to as S.O.P.H.I.A..

Blaster Master: Blasting Again[]

Sophia 4th has been rebuilt into Sophia J-7.

Beating the game allows the player to start a new game using Sophia 3rd, though it is functionally the same as Sophia J-7.

Blaster Master: Overdrive[]

Sophia 3rd has been re-imagined into S.O.P.H.I.A..

Blaster Master Zero[]

BLASTER MASTER ZERO
BM0 SIII

SOPHIA III in Blaster Master Zero’s Attract Mode story reel

SOPHIA III - a tank vehicle bearing the name of Eve's home planet. It was created as a battle tank that could destroy the mutant threat that is plaguing many planets. It's made to operate automatically, but it also has a "Blaster Rifle," a weapon that needs to be operated by hand. From a perpetual motion system to an auto-repair function, this tank sure has a lot of features. It even has a support bot that helps it perform emergency maintenance. The bot activates when SOPHIA's AI has a tough time handling the situation at hand.
— Jason (while chatting with Eve in Area 1 post-Wall Climb) • Blaster Master Zero

In much the same manner as in the original game, SOPHIA III is a vehicle brought to Earth by Eve to combat the mutants. After escaping from Jason, Fred falls into a wormhole that leads to SOPHIA III, which Jason follows him into. Jason then finds the tank and a Blaster Rifle, and uses it to go find Fred, whom the tank is able to track for some reason. The vehicle controls much the same as its original incarnation, but has a variety of abilities and sub-weapons that are unlocked via chips found after destroying bosses.

Sophia Zero

It is revealed later in the game that Fred is a part of SOPHIA III, being a disguised recon drone used to scout out areas, and opens a wormhole in order to return to SOPHIA when he needs to. During the course of the game, SOPHIA III is taken from Jason, but he is led by Fred to SOPHIA Zero, an extremely powerful version with boosted abilities. SOPHIA III was infested by the Mutant Core, and Eve tried to take it away to destroy it by causing SOPHIA III to self-destruct, but the Mutant Core took it over too quickly and prevented the self-destruction, corrupting it into Invem Sophia. Jason tracks down the possessed SOPHIA III with SOPHIA Zero, successfully frees Eve from it, and destroys SOPHIA III and the Mutant Core once and for all.

Blaster Master Zero 2[]

Having been destroyed in the previous game, SOPHIA III does not appear in this game outside of the game's introduction sequence. However, parts of it were salvaged and used to construct Gaia-SOPHIA.

Sophia the 3rd (BMZ)

Sophia the 3rd as shown in promotional art for Blaster Master Zero 3

Blaster Master Zero 3[]

SOPHIA III does not make a direct appearance in this game, but its original incarnation, the Metal Attacker from MetaFight appears alongside its pilot Kane Gardner. Kane uses the Metal Attacker in a faux battle against Jason in the G-SOPHIA SV, where it is shown to still be very maneuverable and powerful, despite being an "older model". During the fight, Kane will use all original weapons and subweapons that the tank possessed in MetaFight. Regardless of whether Jason manages to win the battle against Kane, the latter will reveal that he needed battle damage to his tank to cover his assistance with Jason's escape, awarding the Hover Module and letting him into the Sophia Metropolis.

Other Appearances[]

Shanghai Musume: Mahjong Girls[]

Sophia 3rd is featured on certain Mahjong tiles in the game.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero[]

As of the July 2018 patch of this 2016 multiplat platformer by WayForward Technologies, Shantae can transform into a miniaturized Sophia III with the "Sophia III Dance".

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