Name: Dibison [0]
Pilots: Thomas Richard Schubaltz (Guardian Force); Ambient (Guardian Force) [1]; Leena Tauros (NC0); Mary Champ (NC0) [2]; Five unknown NC0 pilots
Alignment: Republican Zoid, but given to an Imperial soldier
Type: Buffalo
Height: 10.8m
Length: 20.6m [3]
Weight: 230 tons
Max speed: 130km/h [4] [5]
Armaments: 17 Mortar Cannons [6]; Triple Impact Cannon; 2 Rocket Pods; 4-Barreled Grenade Launcher; metal horns
Main Usage: Artillery
Best Attack: Megalo Max
Totaled: 18 Times; 7 in Guardian Force and 11 in NC0 [7] [8]
Spellcheck: Microsoft Word suggests I rename the Dibison to “Division.”

[0] Many of these statistics were taken from Channel Zi. Although I have found these statistics in other places, I believe that most of the information found on those sites originally came from Channel Zi. Thanks. I couldn’t have done it without you. Well, I could have, but then it’d be as cheerfully inaccurate as my page on Thomas.
[1] Yes, I’m including Ambient. He fused with the Dibison, thus he was the one who steered the it when Hiltz took it from Thomas. I count that as piloting it.
[2] Technically Mary doesn’t pilot a Dibison, but she owns four of them. Four of them. I think that compensates for the fact that she just uses them to pull her ship.
[3] The toy is 6” by 10.5” (horns to tail length), making the toy slightly longer than the real thing as compared to their heights
[4] That’s approximately 80mph for any silly Americans who don’t understand the metric system. Take it from me, a silly American who does understand the metric system.
[5] As another comparison, the Shield Liger has a max speed of 250km/h, nearly twice the speed of the Dibison. The Lightning Saix has a max speed of 325km/h, which is exactly 2.5x’s the Dibison’s speed. This explains why Van and Irvine were teasing Thomas about his Zoid falling behind.
[6] If you’re wondering why it’s such an odd number, think of it as 9 on top (3x3), 4 on each side.
[7] In NC0, Leena totals her Dibison 6 times, the Fuma team destroys 4 Dibison piloted by an unknown team, and one Dibison is totaled during the Royal Cup. The only zoid with a worse survival rate is the Pteras.
[8] As a note of special interest, please recall that Leena's Dibison only lasted 6 episodes in NC0 before it was replaced by a Gunsniper. It was totaled once per episode.

It’s a buffalo and it’s armed to the teeth. What more could you want? The Dibison is slow compared to most zoids (most cars have a top speed faster than the Dibison’s), but its power has nothing to do with its speed. Its Megalo Max is able to take out many zoids at a time. I find it strange that it’s put into close combat so often—its ideal usage would be as artillery. Its sensors, combined with Beek’s guidance, would make it a fairly accurate long-range weapon. The speedier zoids could go in for close combat to keep the enemy busy, and the Dibison could just stand off on a hill and pick the enemy off several at a time. If the Dibison isn't accurate enough, then the roles can be reversed--the Dibison can provide cover fire while the other zoids take out the enemy one by one. It’s good strategy, plus it keeps Thomas out of harm’s way. And really, that’s what SOS is all about.

I think that the Dibison is an unusual choice of zoid for Thomas. He’s used to dealing with delicate equipment—he built Beek, for goodness sake! He likes things to be precise and orderly. He worries about getting bystanders pulled into the battle. He’s able to handle high speed zoids. You’d think he would want a zoid like the Command Wolf—fast, precise, efficient. Instead, he has a zoid whose main function is to Blow Stuff Up. I don’t think it’s that good a combination. A greater array of missiles means a greater chance of it hitting something other than his target, and he’s said several times that he wants to protect people. Another factor is Thomas’ somewhat impetuous personality. As much as I love him, he has a tendency to Blow Stuff Up before he should, or even target his comrades’ zoids. I like that part of his personality, but that doesn’t mean I think he should be sitting behind the controls of something with that much firepower. Besides, I’d rather see him in a zoid with better shielding. Like, say, a Gustav. Aheheh.

Why do I personally like the Dibison? Well, I’ve always liked water buffalo. I don’t know why. They’re just neat. So when I saw the Dibison, it was love at first sight. Strangely enough, what I really liked about it was how it swings its head back and forth. Zoids had previously done a good job of making zoids act like the animal they’re modeled after, but most zoids seen so far have been bug, bird, dinosaur, or speedy animals such as a wolf or a tiger. There haven’t been many zoids modeled off of slow animals. I’ll admit, the Iron Kong was a pretty impressive conversion of an ape, but they’ve always seemed rather silly to me. What makes the Dibison great is that it looks like a buffalo and it moves like a buffalo without looking silly. The way it moves is considerably different than the way the Liger or the Command Wolf do. When they’re angry, they roar; when the Dibison is angry, it makes a low rumbling sound and tosses its head from side to side. It looks good. I like that.

Of course, the other reason I like the Dibison is because, as I’ve said, it’s armed to the teeth. There’s just something innately satisfying about pressing a button and having something blow up. If I had a zoid, it would be a Dibison, and I’d probably be as trigger-happy as Leena. I just wouldn’t be quite so psychotic off the battlefield.