Jade Knight (ジェイドナイト,Jeido Naito?) made its debut in Gradius Gaiden with Falchion β. Eponymously, every weapon this ship has is tinted green, including the options. Basically every Star Fighter has their uniquely colored options, including this one, this trend started in Salamander.
Its missile, the spread bomb is a carry-over from Gradius II. This ship has two different kinds of lasers available: Round and Pulse.
The round laser, the most unusual weapon presented in this game, fires concentric rings of laser origination. This weapon is very powerful when is correctly used. In Salamander 3, Graylayer (Jade Knight) uses Photon Torpedo 2 Way Missiles instead of the Spread Bomb it actually used in Gaiden
Pulse Laser Gun
The Pulse Laser is a two- or three-pronged burst laser, similar to the Twin Laser in previous titles, this seems to be one of the weakest lasers in the game.
In Salamander III, Gray Layer uses the Twin Laser and these are much powerful than the ones from its Gaiden reincarnation. Its Burst mode is the Spear Laser from Salamander 2, which can cut through terrain and deals more damage than the regular Twin Laser. The Burst mode projectile of the Twin Laser turns into a Trident, which doesn't become thinner from a distance and can destroy bosses with ease.
The Round Laser in Salamander III had changes. The Gray Layer cannot use its main gun, but to offset the drawback, the Round Laser has a wide radius and deals striking damage to any enemies who come into contact with it. Its Burst mode has a wider radius and rapid pulse capable of damaging larger enemies.
The Jade Knight, and the other Gradius Gaiden ships, have a kind of hyper-drive system than allows them to travel faster than light for escape of the Black Hole in the Stage 7.
Jade Knight's original ship name was GrayLayer and looked different from the final sprite; its initial design has been revived in the release of Gradius Origins as an unlockable ship in Salamander III.
Along the way, the design for Gray Layer in Salamander III picked up some design elements of Esmeralda's Jade Knight in Otomedius Gorgeous.
A Yu-Gi-Oh card of the same name exists, and is based on Jade Knight.
