Energy Guard is an upgrade for Jason in the Blaster Master Zero duology, which further amplifies the newfound user-friendliness of the Gun by guarding it from level loss from incidental damage.
Blaster Master Zero
The Energy Guard is found in an unguarded top-down dungeon in Area 2. After installation, it will surround the Gun Level meter with a neon red casing while active. If Jason takes a hit in top-down mode, the casing will deactivate instead of a Gun Level being deducted. It will recharge over time (roughly five seconds), so long as Jason avoids successive damage during that period.
Energy Guard provides no benefit in Destroyer Mode, or to EX Characters.
Blaster Master Zero 2
The Energy Guard is found on Planetoid B-3, and behaves identically to its predecessor.
Blaster Master Zero 3
The Energy Guard has been replaced by Life Energy Guard α. Collecting any copy of this item or its counterpart Life Energy Guard β adds 4 layers of life/energy guard (LE guard), indicated as pink (or dark pink) segments above the life bar of Jason/Gaia-SOPHIA SV (α/β variants, respectively). Jason and SOPHIA can each be protected by up to 16 layers of LE guard at a time.
When Jason or SOPHIA takes damage while protected by one or more layers of LE guard, damage is dealt to LE guard first, with one layer being destroyed for each damage point which would normally apply to life; if there is not enough LE guard to neutralize all damage (only applicable for hits that normally deplete at least 2 life), the remainder is then applied to life. LE guard also nullifies an additional mechanic based on who is taking damage:
- Damage dealt to LE guard while Jason is in Top-Down View does not cause a Gun Level reduction.
- Damage dealt to LE guard during a Sub SP system shutdown applies using a 1x damage multiplier (rather than the 2x damage multiplier which would normally apply in this scenario).
LE guard interacts with Blaster Master Zero 3's instant death mechanics as follows:
- If SOPHIA (or Jason) touches a dimensional distortion (while not protected by Counter Barrier) with LE guard active, instant death is negated once, consuming all layers of LE guard in the process.
- LE guard on SOPHIA only functions while at least one SP system is active. Taking damage while both SP systems are shut down will result in instant death, regardless of how many layers of LE guard are present.