Command and Conquer Red Alert 3 Empire of the Rising Sun Units Guide

Instant Dojo Units

Unit Name: Burst Drone
Unit Cost: 300
Build Time: 5 seconds
Prerequisites: Instant Dojo

Burst Drones are great as scouts. The empire doesn't have anything like a war bear or attack dog, so this is welcome. They can also attach themselves to an enemy vehicle to slow its movement. Their secondary attack initiates a self-destruct that will damage the vehicle to which they are attached. These are good for attaching to bomber squadrons if you can get them on, as they can destruct once they're back at the air field.

Unit Name: Imperial Warrior
Unit Cost: 150
Build Time: 5 seconds
Prerequisites: Instant Dojo

The imperial warrior is a bit better than a soviet's conscript. They have a secondary ability that allows them to use katanas to chop down enemy infantry. This ability incurs a burst of speed. They're great for this role, but you may find that you don't use them often in lieu of more versatile units.

Unit Name: Tankbuster
Unit Cost: 300
Build Time: 5 seconds
Prerequisites: Instant Dojo

Empire Tankbusters are just awesome at killing vehicles. They fire a ray that hits, and hurts. They can also destroy buildings quickly this way. They should compliment most attack forces both as fodder and a way to damage from behind the front lines. Their spider burrow ability allows them to stand their ground against tanks until the last minute then burrow underground, avoiding being crushed. Foolish enemies will find they pop back up to finish the job, however.

Unit Name: Engineer
Unit Cost: 500
Build Time: 10 seconds
Prerequisites: Instant Dojo

The Empire of the Rising Sun Engineer is a bit odd. They work just like normal, being able to capture neutral and enemy structures. Their secondary ability is a dash that can be used to move more quickly toward a capturable target. Be careful with it though, as if the engineer runs too far they get out of breath and stop cold in their tracks. There are great tactical advantages to this, as you can rush past enemy defenders sometimes and snag a building you really need.

Unit Name: Shinobi
Unit Cost: 1000
Build Time: 10 seconds
Prerequisites: Instant Dojo, Dojo Upgrade

The Shinobi are the Empire's infiltrator units. They can shut down power, halt production and do all manner of nasty things to an enemy base. The smoke bomb ability the possess can get them out of trouble, but it's unlikely to be the deciding factor in them making it to their target. Additionally, they are great infantry killers, being able to strike with shuriken or blade to fell their foes.

Unit Name: Rocket Angel
Unit Cost: 900
Build Time: 10 seconds
PrerequisitesInstant Dojo, Dojo Breakthrough

Rocket angels can hit air or ground targets, but excel against armored opponents. Don't expect them to take care of any flak infantry because they're soft. In fact, try to keep them out of danger entirely because they are basically infantry that fly. Their secondary ability can cause enemy vehicles to freeze. They are best used in a supporting role in this fashion.

Unit Name: Yuriko Omega
Unit Cost: 2000
Build Time: 30 seconds
Prerequisites: Instant Dojo, Dojo Breakthrough

Yuriko Omega is the Empire of the Rising Sun's commando unit. She can telekinetically lift units off the ground then destroy them with psychic force. She can only do this to one unit at a time, but anti-air can help her take them down faster. As a unit hovers, anit-air can hit them to kill them faster allowing Yuriko to hit another target. I prefer to use her in a supporting role, as part of my task forces for this reason. Her secondary ability destroys all infantry in a radius (except yours).

Mecha Bay Units

Unit Name: Ore Collector
Unit Cost: 1400
Build Time: 20 seconds
Prerequisites: Mecha Bay

Your basic ore collector. The japanese twist on this is to allow the collector to use a small gun in place of its collection capabilities. It is helpful to prevent small numbers of infantry from stopping your production, but is not all that powerful.

Unit Name: Sudden Transport
Unit Cost: 500
Build Time: 5 seconds
Prerequisites: Mecha Bay

The sudden transport can bring infantry through an unsuspecting enemy's base. It can disguise itself as an enemy vehicle much like an allied spy. I've often used these to do sneak rushes straight into the center of an enemy base with engineers. Otherwise, as transports, they are nice and fast and hold five units.

Unit Name: Mecha Tengu
Unit Cost: 800
Build Time: 10 seconds
Prerequisites: Mecha Bay

Mecha Tengus function as swift anti-infantry killers. Honestly, you'll need to use formation move more often than not to prevent them from flying too far ahead of your attack groups. They take damage as vehicles, as is appropriate as they are metallic. Their secondary ability allows them to transform into Jet Tengus, which is a bit like Transformers. Pre-patch 1.05 they were terrible at taking down other aircraft, especially those that were specifically anit-air. Now they are much more powerful but still not the best at eliminating targets in the sky. Perhaps one of their biggest perks is that if they are getting beat down in an air-to-air conflict they can change back to mecha tengus and land safely.

Unit Name: Tsunami Tank
Unit Cost: 1000
Build Time: 10 seconds
Prerequisites: Mecha Bay, Mecha Bay Upgrade

The Empire of the Rising Sun's main tank is ampibious. This means that it can go on land or water. It's not a very powerful tank, but it is a tank. I'm not very fond of them but in numbers they can deal nice damage. Most other tanks will plow them over but their amphibious nature makes them tactically useful for strikes on unsuspecting enemy bases that are on the beach.

Unit Name: Striker-VX
Unit Cost: 1200
Build Time: 10 seconds
Prerequisites: Mecha Bay, Mecha Bay Upgrade

The Striker-VX starts as a land walker that fires anti-air missiles. It's actually very proficient at this task. Its secondary form allows it to change into a Copter-VX that can hit ground targets (armor) and pulverize them. They are not very effective for swarming static anti-air defenses but the ability to switch back and forth from ground to air makes them very useful for tactical minds.

Unit Name: King Oni
Unit Cost: 2000
Build Time: 20 seconds
Prerequisites: Mecha Bay, Mecha Bay Breakthrough

The King Oni is one of my favorite units. It is ineffective against infantry, but stands proud in its ability to destroy enemy vehicles and buildings. It can crush infantry that attack it, but its best use is to use the Bull Charge secondary ability to rush a target. It can do this to anything from hammer tanks to spectrum towers. It will deal huge damage on impact and keep on fighting. Your army can be very powerful with just a few of these around.

Unit Name: Wave-Force Artillery
Unit Cost: 1800
Build Time: 15 seconds
Prerequisites: Mecha Bay, Mecha Bay Breakthrough

The Empire's artillery is nothing to laugh at. It fires beams of pure energy at a target. They are great for hitting static defenses that your army can't reach safely. They can even be employed to hit normal units because they have the ability to force fire. There is a gauge on the back of the artillery that will gradually fill. If you press 'F' you'll force the artillery to fire with that amount of power. This makes it great for hitting buildings and units that are almost finished without waiting for a full power shot.

Unit Name: MCV
Unit Cost: 5000
Build Time: 60 seconds
Prerequisites: Mecha Bay

There's usually no need to build this vehicle, as the Empire of the Rising Sun can expand with its cores. You'll only need to make one of these expensive behemoths if you lose your main yard, but that usually means you've lost the match.

Imperial Docks Units

Unit Name: Ore Collector
Unit Cost: 1400
Build Time: 20 seconds
Prerequisites: Imperial Docks

The same Ore Collector you get from the Mecha Bay

Unit Name: Yari Mini-Sub
Unit Cost: 800
Build Time: 10 seconds
Prerequisites: Imperial Docks

Yari Mini-Subs are the first anti-naval unit you receive as an Empire player. They are good in groups, and are generally safe from retaliation until they surface to fire. Their secondary ability, Last Voyage, is used to suicide ram enemy ships or even buildings. They should accompany most naval task forces to help absorb fire and deal a bit of extra damage. They can then sacrifice themselves to turn the odds in your favor.

Unit Name: Tsunami Tank
Unit Cost: 1000
Build Time: 10 seconds
Prerequisites: Imperial Docks, Docks Upgrade

These Tsunami tanks are identical to those you get from the Mecha bay.

Unit Name: Sea Wing
Unit Cost: 1100
Build Time: 11 seconds
PrerequisitesImperial Docks, Docks Upgrade

Sea Wings are anti-air naval units. They don't hit very hard but are effective in large groups. They should usually accompany your strike forces in the sea to prevent them being destroyed by simple air attacks. Alternatively, they can change into an air unit that is effective against infantry. Don't expect them to do much against vehicles or buildings except in large numbers.

Unit Name: Naginata Cruiser
Unit Cost: 1800
Build Time: 18 seconds
PrerequisitesImperial Docks, Docks Upgrade

The Naginata is the premier anti-ship vessel of the Empire. It can go toe to toe with most sea vessels, and can damage entire fleets with its secondary ability. The secondary ability fires off a spread of torpedoes that hits anything in its path, including allies. Use this for a shotgun-like effect against tough ships or even structures. The closer you are the more likely every extra torpedo will hit your target. Otherwise, they are pretty standard, tough to destroy sea units.

Unit Name: Shogun Battleship
Unit Cost: 2200
Build Time: 22 seconds
Prerequisites: Imperial Docks, Docks Breakthrough

The Shogun Battleship is the Empire of the Rising Sun's naval artillery. Their fast-firing bolts are great at hitting slow ships and they can strike targets far inland. Their secondary allows them to reach full speed and you can use them like a tank to crush other ships, sometimes completely destroying them. They are the capital ships of the Japanese navy and should be protected by ships like seawings and Naginata cruisers.

Unit Name: MCV
Unit Cost: 5000
Build Time: 60 seconds
Prerequisites: Imperial Docks

Identical to the unit from the Mecha bay. Build as a last resort, when your original has gone bust.