Artistic Forces/Mecha Musume

Mecha Musume is a Japanese term referring to a form of moe anthropomorphism, popularized in anime and manga, where the moe qualities are given to non-human beings (such as animals, plants, supernatural entities and fantastical creatures), objects, concepts, or phenomena. This term is accepted in the west, but the Japanese call them Mecha Shoujo. Even though the term known as Heiki Musume is also infrequently used to qualify this due to the personifications of the military weapons. Mecha Musume is the term coined and used by Fumikane Shimada, the famous Japanese artist who worked for his notably copyrighted commercial and artistic designs, such as Kantai Collection, Girls und Panzer, and Alice Gear Aegis.

In Japanese usage, the word mecha can refer to any kind of mechanical device such as a gun or a robot. In the case of Mecha musume they are specifically personifications of military hardware. They should not be confused with other types of moe military mascots, like those representing something abstract like a regular navy or army.

In Artistic Forces, this unit type is exclusive to both the Josei Guntai and the Yami Musume for their military assets to fight alongside their infantry, vehicles, aircraft and vessels in the battlefield, including the shipgirls.