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Mobile Suit Gundam (Japanese: 機動戦士ガンダム, Hepburn: Kidō Senshi Gandamu, also known as First Gundam, Gundam 0079 or simply Gundam '79) is a televised anime series, produced and animated by Sunrise. Oct 17, 2017 - The MS lineup includes popular suits from New Mobile Report Gundam Wing and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, but also includes MS from the.

Mobile Suit Gundam (Japanese: 機動戦士ガンダムHepburn: Kidō Senshi Gandamu, also known as First Gundam, Gundam 0079 or simply Gundam '79) is a televised anime series, produced and animated by Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting Network and its affiliated ANN stations on April 7, 1979, and lasted until January 26, 1980, spanning 43 episodes. It was the very first Gundam series, which has subsequently been adapted into numerous sequels and spin-offs. Set in the futuristic calendar year 'Universal Century' 0079, the plot focuses on the war between the Principality of Zeon and the Earth Federation, with the latter unveiling a new giant robot known as the RX-78-2 Gundam piloted by the teenage civilian mechanic Amuro Ray.

In 1981, the series was re-edited for theatrical release and split into three movies. The characters were designed by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, and Kunio Okawara was responsible for the mechanical designs, including the eponymous giant robot, the RX-78-2 Gundam. The first movie was released on February 22, 1981. Tomino himself also wrote a trilogy of novels that retell the events of the series. Two manga adaptations of the series have also been written by two manga artists.

Despite initial low ratings that caused the series' cancellation, the popularity of Gundam saw a boost from the introduction of Bandai's Gunpla models in 1980 and from reruns and the theatrical release of the anime, leading to the creation of a prolific and lucrative media and toy franchise. The series is famous for revolutionizing the giant robot genre due to the handling of mobile suits as weapons of war as well as the portrayal of their pilots as ordinary soldiers, as opposed to the previous style of portraying hero pilots and their giant super hero robots.

• 3Media
• 4Reception

Plot[edit]

Set in a fictional universe in the year 2179 (Universal Century year 0079 according to the Gundam Calendar), the Principality of Zeon has declared independence from the Earth Federation, and subsequently launched a war of independence called the One Year War. The conflict has directly affected every continent on Earth, also nearly every space colony and lunar settlement. Zeon, though smaller, has the tactical upper hand through their use of a new type of humanoid weapons called mobile suits. After half of all humanity perishes in the conflict, the war settled into a bitter stalemate lasting over 8 months.

The story begins with a newly deployed Federation warship, the White Base, arriving at the secret research base located at the Side 7 colony to pick up the Federation's newest weapon. However, they are closely followed by Zeon forces. A Zeon reconnaissance team member disobeys mission orders and attacks the colony, killing most of the Federation crew and civilians in the process. Out of desperation, young Amuro Ray accidentally finds the Federation's new prototype arsenal—the RX-78 Gundam, and manages to beat back Zeon forces. Scrambling everything they can, the White Base sets out with her newly formed crew of civilian recruits and refugees in her journey to survive.

On their journey, the White Base members often encounter the Zeon Lieutenant Commander Char Aznable. Although Char antagonizes Amuro in battle, he takes advantage of their position as Federation members to have them kill members from Zeon's Zabi family as part of his revenge scheme. Amuro also meets ensign Lalah Sune with whom he falls in love, but accidentally kills when facing Char. When the Federation Forces invade the Fortress of A Baoa Qu to defeat the Zeon forces, Amuro engages on a final one-on-one duel against Char due to both blaming the other for Lalah's death. Having realized he forgot his true enemy, Char stops fighting to kill the last surviving Zabi member, Kycilia Zabi. Amuro then reunites with his comrades as the war reaches its end.

Production[edit]

The 'Mobile Suits' of the show were inspired by the powered armor from the novel Starship Troopers from 1959.^[2] Mobile suits were conceptualized as human-like robots which would not only appeal to children.^[1] Yoshiyuki Tomino's original plot for the anime was considerably much more grim, with Amuro dying halfway through the series, and the crew of the White Base having to ally with Char (who is given a red Gundam), but finally having to battle him after he takes control of the Principality of Zeon. The original concept found expression in a series of novels written by Tomino soon after the show's conclusion, and elements of the storyline weaved themselves into Zeta Gundam and Char's Counterattack.^{[citation needed]}

In previous series Tomino worked in, villains were alien agents. Mobile Suit Gundam was the first of his work which featured humans as antagonists. The director commented he wanted to tell a story about war.^[1] He aimed to expose thoroughly starting with Japanese aggression in Manchuria in 1939. Tomino did not allow for changes to history and wanted to use the story to make viewers confront the tragic realities of war. The director was unwilling to discuss the message of his work, expecting the viewers to reach their own conclusion. Additionally, he commented he 'packed his frustrations' when making Gundam.^[3]

Tomino met mechanical designer Kunio Okawara when he first worked in two television series from Sunrise. Tomino liked Okawara's work and asked him to collaborate with him in his upcoming project. Originally, the anime would be called 'Gunboy' but it was renamed Mobile Suit Gundam.^[4] The White Base, the mothership of the protagonist crew members, is designed with a 3 plane view method by Kunio Okawara, however, it is not specially designed for the anime series Gundam, it was actually a salvaged design from the anime Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3.^[5] The idea of having a space carrier from Tomino is partly inspired by the earlier science fiction anime Space Battleship Yamato, in which he claimed to be a fan of.^[5] It was intended to be in a more realistic black color, but was changed to white by the order of Sunrise, similar to the color change of the main mecha Gundam was changed from a grayish white to white, red, blue and yellow. Director Tomino showed great disgust in the color change, also noticing the unrealistic non-aerodynamic design of it after the show was on air, said in an interview that such design would never appear in the real world, since it would be a sitting duck from fighter aircraft. Tomino still held a grudge 10 years after the show aired and stated in an interview in Newtype 1989 April issue that the imaginary enemies of Gundam are Sunrise, sponsors and television stations.^[6]

Tomino compares the machines with religious history in Japan, most notably the worship of Buddha statues located in temples. The relationship between the pilot and the mobile suit has also been compared with the Formula One drivers who rely on machines to achieve a goal.^[7] In order to give the mechas fast movements, most of the fights were situated in space where there was no gravity. This led to the creation of space colonies as a common setting. In order to explain how could such a young man as Amuro pilot the Gundam, the team came up with the idea of making him a Newtype.^[1]

Media[edit]

Anime[edit]

In February 1980, Mobile Suit Gundam was aired in Italy, the first country to broadcast the show outside Japan.^[8]Mobile Suit Gundam was also later aired by the anime satellite television network, Animax, across Japan, with the series continuing to be aired on the network currently, and later its respective networks worldwide, including Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and other regions.

Hoping to capitalize on the success of Gundam Wing from the previous year, Bandai Entertainment released a heavily edited and English-dubbed version of Mobile Suit Gundam, premiering on Cartoon Network's Toonami weekday afternoon after-school action programming block across the United States on Monday, July 23, 2001. The series did not do as well as Wing but the ratings were high enough for the whole series to be aired and to spawn an enormous toy line. Due to the September 11th attacks, Cartoon Network, like many other American TV stations, began pulling, and editing, war-themed content and violent programming, resulting in the cancellation of the series. However, the series finale was shown as part of Toonami's 'New Year's Eve-il' special on December 31, 2001^[9] and the unaired episodes were aired in reruns during 2002.

On Saturday, June 8, 2002, the series was given another chance by Cartoon Network on their late-night Adult Swim block, but it was again pulled before completing its run because of low ratings.

On May 30, 2006, Bandai Entertainment re-released the English dub of the TV series in a 10 volume DVD set.^[10] There was no Japanese audio track included, apparently because Yoshiyuki Tomino felt that the original mono mix was in too poor of a condition to use.^[11] However, in 2007 the original series was released on DVD in Japan, which sold over 100,000 copies within a month's time from December 21, 2007 to January 21, 2008.^[12]

At the 2010 New York Comic Con/New York Anime Festival, Bandai Entertainment announced that they would re-release Mobile Suit Gundam with both the original Japanese audio and the English dub. Only one episode out of the 43 episode will not be dubbed, at the request of Yoshiyuki Tomino. Bandai released Gundam in two sets in the summer of 2011.^[13] The first set was released on September 13, 2011.^[14]

Following the closure in 2012 of Bandai Entertainment, the series has been out of print. At their New York Comic-Con 2014 panel, Sunrise announced their plans to re-release all of the Gundam series on home video in North America, starting with the original series. They will be distributed via Right Stuf Inc.^[15] They will release the series on Blu-ray and DVD in October 2015.^[16]

On July 25, 2015, UK anime distributor Anime Limited announced they will release Mobile Suit Gundam in cooperation with Sunrise for the first time in the UK on DVD and Blu-ray.

In both American TV showings and on the international DVD and Blu-ray release, episode 15 ('Cucruz Doan's Island') was cut out. According to Yoshiyuki Tomino, the removal was made at his request, with the episode becoming a 'lost episode' of sorts, never being dubbed.^[17] The episode remained on the Japanese DVD and Blu-ray releases.

Novel[edit]

In 1979, before the end of the anime, Yoshiyuki Tomino himself created the first novelizations of the original Gundam anime series. The novels, issued as a series of three books, allowed him to depict his story in a more sophisticated, adult, and detailed fashion. Along with this adaptation came several major changes to the story. For example, Amuro is already a member of the Federation military at the time of the initial Zeon attack on Side 7, and the main characters in the Federation serve on the White Base-class ships Pegasus and Pegasus II rather than the Pegasus-class White Base.^[18] Additionally, the war continues well into the year UC 0080 in the novels, whereas it concludes at the beginning of that year in the anime series. In the novel Amuro Ray is killed in the final attack against the Zeonic stronghold of A Baoa Qu when his RX-78-3 is pierced through the torso by a Rick Dom's beam bazooka. This occurs as Char's unit attempts to warn him about Gihren's intention to destroy the fortress and take the Federation's offensive fleet along with it. Char and the crew of Pegasus II (White Base), along with handpicked men under Kycilia Zabi's command, make a deep penetrating attack against the Side 3 and together kill Gihren Zabi, after which Kycilia is killed by Char. Tomino later lamented that had he known that anime ending would be different and that another series would be made, he would not have killed off Amuro in the novels.

The three novels were translated into English by Frederik Schodt and published by Del Rey Books in September 1990. At the time, there were no officially recognized romanizations of character and mecha names, and a variety of different spellings were being used in the English-language fan community. In the original three novels, therefore, Mr. Schodt wrote the name 'Char' as 'Sha.' 'Sha' is a transliteration of the Japanese pronunciation, although Mr. Tomino later publicly confirmed at Anime Expo New York 2002 that the name was originally based on the French name Charles Aznavour, a popular French-language singer. (The 2004 edition of the English translation revealed that Schodt felt that the 'Char' rendering 'seemed too close' to Aznavour's name.) He also rendered 'Zaku' as 'Zak,' and (after consulting with Mr. Tomino) 'Jion' as 'Zeon,' instead of 'Zion,' which was in use in some circles. Some North American fans, already attached to particular spellings, took great umbrage at Schodt's renditions, forgetting that in the original Japanese most character and mecha names are written in katakana, and that there were, therefore, no 'official spellings.' Many years later, when the Gundam series was finally licensed in North America, the rights holders came up with a unified list of 'official spellings' for English-language material, and some of these spellings include Schodt's renditions, as well as the renditions to which certain North American fans were attached.

In 2004, Frederik Schodt revised his original translation of the books, which had been out of print for nearly a decade. What had been a three volume set in the 1990 Del Rey edition was re-released by Stone Bridge Press as one single volume of 476 pages (with a vastly improved cover design), titled Mobile Suit Gundam: Awakening, Escalation, Confrontation. Since the rights holders in Japan by this time had created a unified (although still evolving) list of romanized character and mecha names, Schodt was able to use it, and Amuro's rival in the novel thus became 'Char' and not 'Sha'; the popular Zeon Mobile Suit, similarly, became 'Zaku,' and not 'Zak'.^[19]

Compilation movies[edit]

Following the success of the Mobile Suit Gundam TV series, in 1981 Tomino reworked the footage into three separate compilation movies. The first two movies, Mobile Suit Gundam and Mobile Suit Gundam: Soldiers of Sorrow, were released in 1981. The third movie, Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space, was released in 1982.

Each of the three movies is largely composed of old footage from the TV series, however Tomino felt that some things could be changed for the better. Tomino removed several aspects of the show which he felt were still too super robot-esque for the real robot series he intended Gundam to be, such as the Gundam Hammer weapon. The G-Armor upgrade parts were also completely removed and replaced in the narrative by the more realistic Core Booster support fighters, and Hayato receives a RX-77 Guncannon at Jaburo to replace the disadvantaged RX-75 Guntank. The third movie also includes a substantial amount of new footage expanding on the battles of Solomon and A Baoa Qu.

The first Gundam film, upon release on 22 February 1981, drew a large crowd of 15,000 people at its premiere, leading to concerns from police and media that it could lead to social unrest from a riotous crowd. The event is considered a turning point in the history of anime, referred to as 'the day that anime changed' according to Asahi Shinbun newspaper.^[20] The first film grossed ¥1.76 billion, and Gundam II grossed ¥1.38 billion.^[21]Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space was 1982's fourth highest-grossing Japanese film, with a distribution income of ¥1.29 billion^[22] and a total box office gross of ¥2.31 billion.^[23] Collectively, the trilogy grossed ¥5.45 billion at the Japanese box office.^[21]

In 1998, the three compilation movies were first released directly to VHS subtitled into English as part of Bandai's AnimeVillage releases, which makes them among the first Gundam works released in English. The movies were released again in North America on May 7, 2002 in DVD format, available separately or in a boxed set. These are also available only with re-done Japanese audio with English subtitles, the DVDs identical to the 20th anniversary release of the movie compilation in Japan. The original Japanese voice cast members rerecorded their lines with the exception of those who were deceased. The 20th anniversary release was digitally remastered and many of the sound effects were replaced, most notably the futuristic gun sounds being replaced by louder machine gun sound effects. Also, the music soundtrack, while not remixed was rearranged and in some cases removed from some scenes. The vocal songs are rearranged also, especially in the closing credits of the second and third movies.

Bandai Visual has announced the re-release of the Mobile Suit Gundam movies on DVD from new HD masters and with the original, theatrical, mono audio mix. This boxed set was released in Japan on December 21, 2007.^[24][25] On May 18, 2010, Bandai Entertainment re-released the 20th anniversary version of the trilogy under their Anime Legends label.^[26][27] As with the TV series, the movies will be re-released in North America under Sunrise themselves with distribution from Right Stuf Inc.^[15]

The trilogy of films were distributed on DVD in the United Kingdom by Beez Entertainment in 2005 in Japanese and with a selection of subtitle tracks including English. Anime Ltd. has since acquired the UK license and has released a limited edition Blu-ray box set of the movie trilogy (limited to 500 units) as an exclusive, sold only on their AllTheAnime.com store. It was released on March, 27th 2017, in Japanese with English subtitles only.

Manga[edit]

There have been two manga series based on Mobile Suit Gundam. The first one is Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 by Kazuhisa Kondo. It was published in Dengeki Comics from 1985 to 1986 in a total of twelve tankōbon volumes. Viz Media later published its first nine volumes between 2000 and 2003. The second manga is Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin by anime character designer Yoshikazu Yasuhiko. It was published from June 2001 to June 2011 in Kadokawa Shoten's Gundam Ace magazine and collected in a total of 23 tankōbon volumes. The series was first released in English by Viz media but was dropped before it was completed; it was than released by Vertical Publishing from March 2013 to December 2015.

Besides adaptations, there is a popular parody yonkoma manga titled Mobile Suit Gundam-san, which was written and drawn by Hideki Ohwada and serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's Gundam Ace magazine since 2001. This manga was adapted into an anime in 2014. Ohwada also created a spinoff manga, Gundam Sousei (ガンダム創世), which follows Yoshiyuki Tomino and the Sunrise staff as they work to make the television series and the compilation movies. This series was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's Gundam Ace magazine from 2009 to 2011 and compiled in the Gundam-san tankōbon starting in Volume 5. The manga was also collected in two tankōbon volumes released in January 24, 2014.^[28]

Video games[edit]

(For the list below, only video games featuring mobile suits that appeared in the One Year War, or related variations)

There have been many video games based on or with mobile suits from the original Gundam series. Of these, the following have been released in North America:

• Gundam Battle Assault, Gundam Battle Assault 2
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire (Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight in Japan and Australia)
• MS Saga: A New Dawn (Mobile Suit Gundam: True Odyssey in Japan)
• Dynasty Warriors: Gundam, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3 (Gundam Musou in Japan)
• Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn (PlayStation 3 only)

Games that have been unreleased in countries outside Japan^{[citation needed]} include:

• Mobile Suit Gundam (1993 arcade game)
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Spirits of Zeon ~Dual Stars of Carnage~
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Spirit of Zeon ~Memory of Soldier~
• Quiz Mobile Suit Gundam: Monsenshi
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Climax UC
• Mobile Suit Gundam: The One Year War
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Path of the Soldiers (also referred to as Ace Pilot)
• SD Gundam G-Generation (series)

Reception[edit]

Gundam was not popular when it first aired, and in fact came close to being cancelled. The series was originally set to run for 52 episodes but was cut down to 39 by the show's sponsors, which included Clover (the original toymakers for the series). However, the staff was able to negotiate a one-month extension to end the series with 43 episodes.^[29] When Bandai bought the copyrights to build plastic models for the show's mecha, which was a relatively new market compared to the old Chogokin series Clover was making, things changed completely. With the introduction of their line of Gundam models, the popularity of the show began to soar. The models sold very well, the show began to do very well in reruns and its theatrical compilation was a huge success.^[30] Audiences were expecting another Super Robot TV show, and instead found Gundam, the first work of anime in an entirely new genre: the Real Robot genre.^[31] The Anime ranked #2 on Wizard's Anime Magazine on their 'Top 50 Anime released in North America',^[32] and is regarded as changing the concept of Japanese robot anime and the turning point of history in Japan.^[33]

Despite being released in 1979, the original Gundam series is still remembered and recognized within the anime fan community. The series revolutionized mecha anime,^[34] introducing the new Real Robot genre, and over the years became synonymous with the entire genre for many. As a result, for example, parodies of mecha genre commonly feature homages to Mobile Suit Gundam, thanks to its immediate recognizability.^[35]

The series was the first winner of the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize, in 1979 and the first half of 1980. In the top 100 anime from Animage, Gundam was twenty-fourth.^[36] The magazine Wizard listed the series as the second best anime of all time.^[37] By the end of 2007, each episode of the original TV series averaged a sales figure of 80,928 copies, including all of the different formats it was published in (VHS, LD, DVD, etc.).^[38] The first DVD box set sold over 100,000 copies in the first month of release, from December 21, 2007 to January 21, 2008.^[39] As part of the 30th Anniversary of the Gundam series, the company officially announced a project on March 11, 2009 called Real-G, a plan to build a 1:1 real size scale Gundam in Japan. It was completed in July 2009 and displayed in a Tokyo park then taken down later.^[40] The 18-meter tall statue was reconstructed in Shizuoka Prefecture and was taken down in March 2011.^[41] In August 2011 it was dismantled only to reopen in Odaiba, Tokyo on April 19, 2012.^[42][43] It stood Odaiba along with a gift shop called 'Gundam Front Tokyo' until it was dismantled in March 2016.

Most of the series' critical response has been owed to the setting and characters. Autocad 2017 crack and keygen. John Oppliger observes that the characters of Amuro Ray, to whom the young Japanese of that time could easily relate, and Char Aznable, who was 'simply [..] fascinating', made a major contribution to the series' popularity. He also concludes that 'in many respects First Gundam stands for the nostalgic identifying values of everything that anime itself represents'.^[35] The series has been praised by Anime News Network for the way it portrays war with Amuro facing traumatic moments as a result of killing enemy soldiers in his becoming of a soldier.^[44][45] The series is also notable for having humans from a different race as antagonists rather than evil creatures. However, the animation has been noted to have notoriously aged when compared with series seen in the 2000s.^[45][46]

Mecha anime creator Shoji Kawamori attended Keio University in the same years as Macross screenwriter Hiroshi Ōnogi and character designer Haruhiko Mikimoto, where they had a Mobile Suit Gundam fan club called 'Gunsight One', a name they would use years later as the call sign of the bridge of the SDF-1 spaceship from their first Macross anime television series. In fact, The Super Dimension Fortress Macross mecha anime series was inspired by Gundam in several aspects during its early development.^[47]Guillermo Del Toro has cited the series as an influence on Pacific Rim.^[48]

American musician Richie Kotzen, former guitarist from Poison and Mr. Big, released an album called Ai Senshi ZxR in 2006 in Japan. The album consisted of covered music from the Gundam series and original songs. American musician Andrew W.K. also released an album called Gundam Rock on September 9, 2009, in Japan. The album consists of covered music from the Gundam series to celebrate its 30th Anniversary.^[49]

Background research[edit]

The background research of Mobile Suit Gundam is well praised in its field. The positions in which the colonies (sides) are located in orbit are called Lagrangian points, and are real world solutions to the three body problem. The colonies (sides) are based on the O'Neill cylinder design for space habitats.^[50][51][52] The Gundam franchise was a major contributing factor to the fame of the O'Neil cylinder in Japan.^[53]

Gundam-themed rides[edit]

'Gundam the Ride: A Baoa Qu' was an amusement park attraction at the Fuji-Q Highland Amusement Park located in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan. It was a dark ride for the park. Gundam the Ride, which opened to the public on July 20, 2000, was based on Mobile Suit Gundam. Set during the final chaotic Battle of A Baoa Qu, Gundam the Ride places its riders in an Escape Launch Shuttle about to leave the battleship Suruga.

This file allows you to set restrictions on license usage. One function of the license file I find very helpful is the license timeout feature.

The animation of Gundam the Ride used mostly computer graphics, however, all human characters were hand-drawn cel animation, similar to the style current Gundam video games are done in. All of the character designs for Gundam the Ride were done by Haruhiko Mikimoto. The ride's characters make a cameo appearance in the video game 'Encounters in Space' while the player (playing as Amuro Ray in his Gundam) is making his way through the Dolos.

The ride closed on January 8, 2007 and replaced with 'Gundam Crisis Attraction' The main feature of this attraction is a full size 1:1 Gundam model, lying flat inside the venue. Instead of sitting in a movable cockpit and watching a CG movie, it requires participants to carry handheld devices throughout the attraction to find certain pieces of information, similar to a scavenger hunt, in order to activate the Gundam. The interior of the attraction is a mock-up of a Federation ship, and employees remain in-character inside of the ride.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abcd'Q&A with Yoshiyuki Tomino'. Anime News Network. September 14, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
2. ^Tomino, Yoshiyuki (2004). Mobile Suit Gundam: Awakening, Escalation, Confrontation. Stone Bridge Press. p. 8. ISBN978-1-880656-86-0.
3. ^Stahl, David (2010). Imag(in)ing the War in Japan. BRILL. p. 335. ISBN978-9004182981.
4. ^'The Mike Toole Show Super Robot Island: Final'. Anime News Network. November 18, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
5. ^ ^abGundam Century Renewal Version, Kishosha, March 15, 2000, ISBN4-87777-028-3
6. ^Newtype magazine 1989 April Issue
7. ^N. Hornyak, Timothy (2006). Loving the Machine: The Art and Science of Japanese Robots. Kodansha International. p. 64. ISBN978-4770030122.
8. ^'AntonioGenna.net presenta: IL MONDO DEI DOPPIATORI - ZONA ANIMAZIONE: 'Gundam' / 'Mobile Suit Gundam''. antoniogenna.net.
9. ^http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/edit-list/2002-03-04/cartoon-network-interview interview
10. ^http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mobile_suit_gundam_vol_1_the_battle_begins/ Rotten Tomatoes page of the first volume.
11. ^http://www.animejump.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=40&page=1 ('The sound quality of the recordings that remain from First Gundam is quite poor at this time. Because of this, there was no other way but to re-record the First Gundam movies, including the addition of new music. So there would be no possibility of having the original soundtrack released in the United States.')
12. ^Otona no Gundam, Adult's Gundam, Nikki Entertainment
13. ^'Bandai Ent. Adds 1st Gundam TV Series With English Subs'. Anime News Network. October 9, 2010.
14. ^'Mobile Suit Gundam Complete Collection 1: Anime DVD Region 1 US Import NTSC: Amazon.co.uk: DVD & Blu-ray'. Amazon.co.uk.
15. ^ ^ab'Sunrise Partners With Right Stuf to Release Gundam Franchise Stateside'. Anime News Network. October 11, 2014.
16. ^'Right Stuf, Sunrise to Release Original Gundam TV Anime on Blu-ray Disc'. Anime News Network. July 3, 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
17. ^Tei, Andrew (September 28, 2004) [2002]. 'Yoshiyuki Tomino Panel – the daddy of Gundam!'. Anime on DVD. Archived from the original on October 18, 2004. I asked that it would be skipped. There is a reason, but since the staff is still alive I can't answer it. It's a long story.
18. ^Tomino, Yoshiyuki (2004). Mobile Suit Gundam. Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press. p. 11. ISBN1-880656-86-8.
19. ^Tomino, Yoshiyuki (2004). Mobile Suit Gundam. Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press. pp. 470–473. ISBN1-880656-86-8.
20. ^Clements, Jonathan (2017). Anime: A History. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 167. ISBN9781844578849.
21. ^ ^ab'ガンダムで映画化された作品を振り返る'. データガンダム (in Japanese). October 11, 2018. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
22. ^'1982年（1月～12月）'. Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
23. ^'日本アカデミー賞にもノミネート 映画「ONE ＰＩＥCＥ」が超えた名作アニメ映画'. Naver Matome. Naver. January 24, 2013. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
24. ^[商品詳細 ] バンダイビジュアル株式会社
25. ^'Gunota Headlines'. aeug.blogspot.com.
26. ^'Mobile Suit Gundam Trilogy Anime Legends'. store.bandai-ent.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2010. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
27. ^'Amazon.com: Mobile Suit Gundam Trilogy Anime Legends: Tôru Furuya, Hirotaka Suzuoki, Yoshiyuki Tomino: Movies & TV'. amazon.com.
28. ^機動戦士ガンダム ： 誕生秘話描く「ガンダム創世」　タイトル一新しコミックス化 (in Japanese). Mantan. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
29. ^The Legend Story of Gundam, Goods Press, March 15, 2011, ISBN978-4-19-925031-6
30. ^Emerging Worlds of Anime and Manga, Volume 1. 2006. p. 175. ISBN978-0816649457.
31. ^Oricon Style manga and anime interviews and specials, Robot anime special, 'リアルロボット'というジャンルを生み出した作品が『機動戦士ガンダム』である。(Mobile Suit Gundam, the series that gave birth to the genre named 'Real Ro/9bot')
32. ^'Wizard lists Top 50 Anime'. Anime News Network. July 6, 2001. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
33. ^'Anime Japan 2014'. www.anime-japan.jp. Archived from the original on April 3, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
34. ^Oppliger, John (June 24, 2008). 'Ask John: Which Anime Have Been Ahead of Their Time?'. AnimeNation. Archived from the original on August 30, 2008. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
35. ^ ^abJohn Oppliger (May 16, 2008). 'Ask John: Why Are Gundam Fans So Obsessed With First Gundam?'. AnimeNation. Retrieved May 30, 2008.
36. ^'Animage Top 100 anime listing'. Anime News Network. January 15, 2001. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
37. ^'Wizard lists Top 50 Anime'. Anime News Network. July 16, 2001. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
38. ^TVアニメ歷代売上累計平均ランキング最新版TOP25
39. ^Otona no Gundam Perfect, Nikkei Business Publications January 21, 2008
40. ^1/1実物大ガンダム大地に立つ！
41. ^'静岡の空をそめていく……実物大ガンダム公開直前リポート – ITmedia News' (in Japanese). July 7, 2010. Retrieved September 19, 2010. 'Shizuoka .. full-scale Gundam'
42. ^'Life-Size Gundam Rises Again at Tokyo's Odaiba in Video'. Anime News Network. April 22, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
43. ^'Giant 60-Foot 'Mobile Suit Gundam' Statue Presides Over DiverCity Tokyo Plaza (PHOTO)'. Huffington Post. May 1, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
44. ^Shepard, Chris (January 21, 2002). 'Mobile Suit Gundam DVD 2'. Anime News Network. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
45. ^ ^abDong, Bamboo (January 27, 2002). 'MS Gundam (Dub only) DVD Vol. 3: The Threat of Zeon'. Anime News Network. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
46. ^Wallis, J. Doyle. 'Mobile Suit Gundam Movie I'. DVDTalk. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
47. ^'Translation & Cultural Notes'. The Super Dimension Fortress Macross Liner Notes. AnimEigo. December 21, 2001. Archived from the original on August 13, 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2012. According to the liner notes of the AnimEigo DVD release of the Macross TV series Gunsight One was also the fanzine title of the Gundam fan club that creator Shoji Kawamori, character designer Haruhiko Mikimoto, and writer Hiroshi Oonogi (members number 1, 2, and 3 of said club) founded while they were students at Keio University in Japan..
48. ^Pacific Rim Director Visits Odaiba's Life-Size Gundam in Video
49. ^'Gundam Rock English Cover Album to Ship in Japan'. Anime News Network. Retrieved September 16, 2009.
50. ^Gundam Century, Gundam Science, High Frontier
51. ^Gundam SF World
52. ^Mobile Suit Gundam Epoch Vol. 1
53. ^王立科學博物館

External links[edit]

• Official Website: Anime
• Official English website at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
• Mobile Suit Gundam (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Mobile Suit Gundam on IMDb

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Over a year ago, Honey gave you loyal readers it's first ever Top 10 Gundam list from various installments of the hit mech series. As you fans know, the franchise continues to expand and in addition, so must this list. After much reconsideration (in regards to strength, firepower, mobility, armor strength, and how the operating system works with the pilot) we would like to present to you the 2016 Edition of Honey’s Top 10 Gundams.

As a disclaimer, we understand that there are other Gundam media such as novels and manga, but this list will be limited to what has been portrayed in animation. So suit up as we launch into our newest countdown!

• Unit Type: RX-78-2 Prototype General-Purpose Mobile Suit
• Pilot: Amuro Ray
• Appearance: Mobile Suit Gundam

Number 10 has to go to the original Gundam itself. Though a good percentage of present Gundam installments have their pilots change their Gundams midway through the series, the first Gundam series has Amuro, the main character stick with the classic Gundam until the very end. It was given advanced armor (made out of the strong and flexible Lunar Titanium Alloy) that could withstand a good portion of enemy weapons, provide more mobility than the bulky Zeon’s Zakus, and given plenty of firepower with a bazooka, a beam rifle, beam saber, Vulcan cannons next to its eyes, and even a ball and chain (though more highlighted in the TV series)!

With the G-Fighter jet, the Gundam could combine with it and be a giant aerial jet or a heavy-duty tank for both land and air. As Amuro’s abilities develop, the Gundam was given hardware updates such as its magnetic coating to help cope with his improved reflexes. For every new weapon the Zeon dishes out, Amuro and the Gundam are always ready to take them down. And this Gundam with its core design and color scheme would obviously pave way for the rest of the franchise, which is why it deserves a place on this list.

• Unit Type: ASW-G-08 General-Purpose Mobile Suit
• Pilot: Mikazuki Augus
• Appearance: Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans

If age is only a number, then this Gundam most certainly proves it since it happens to be 300 years old! Despite its age and steampunk feel, it still has an active power reactor and its pilot, Mikazuki happens to maneuver it with ease due to his body being surgically made to accommodate its operating system, the Alaya-Vijana System, in which his spine has surgically implanted “spikes” that allows his nervous system to be one with his mobile suit. Thus it allows him to control it like it was an extension of his own body and make up for some of the regular mobility/reflex weaknesses that wouldn't be easy under regular controls (which takes more coordination).

Thanks to the help of his associates in his unit, Tekkadan, the Barbatos is fixed to its prime condition and can still go toe-to-toe with the forces of enemy mobile suits made by the present technology of his time. Though Gundams tend to traditionally have beam swords, this Gundam will use giant metal blades to get the job done. It also equipped with a 300mm caliber machine gun, an extending claw, a battle-axe, and a long-range rifle.

Thanks to Mikazuki’s abilities and knowledge of these weapons due to his training as a regular soldier, this suit can achieve its full potential in speed and power in both space and gravitational conditions.

• Unit Type: GF13-017NJII Close Quarters Combat Mobile Fighter
• Pilot: Domon Kasshu
• Appearance: G Gundam

The God Gundam (or the Burning Gundam in the daytime dub) is pretty much an updated version of the Shining Gundam, thus sharing many of its capabilities in hand-to-hand combat. Due to the nature of the series being a spoof of old-school mecha anime (as in Pre-Gundam anime like Mazinger Z), trendy Shounen series (such as Dragon Ball Z), and the Street Fighter series, many of its features are more “gimmicky” compared to other Gundams but is still respectfully powerful in its own right. It uses special attacks such as the explosive God Finger, Heat End, Bakunetsu God Slash, and so on. Some just do the job in defeating the opponent, or cause extreme damage.

In addition to these attacks being a tribute/parody to fighting games and Shounen, it still packs the traditional Vulcan cannons and beam Sabres. Just like how the Shining Gundam had its super mode, the God Gundam would continue this quality with the hyper mode (try to this of this as Gohan’s Super Saiyan 2), a reaction to Domon’s emotions in reading its power output by 30%.

• Unit Type: RX-78NT-1 Prototype Newtype-use General-purpose Mobile Suit
• Pilot: Christina MacKenzie
• Appearance: Gundam 0080 War in the Pocket

Though only briefly featured in the six-episode OVA series, the Gundam Alex shows numerous amazing features such as its cannon turrets hidden in its wrist, its heavy armor that can withstand deadly explosives, its tremendous boosting speed, 360 view degree cockpit, and so on. The worst part, audiences never get to see it to its fullest potential because the Alex was intended for Amuro and to accommodate his Newtype abilities and he never got his hands on it. It was test piloted by rookie Christina MacKenzie, a non-Newtype.

Unfortunately, her lack of experience on the battlefield compared to Bernie, an expert in basic guerrilla tactics has the Alex destroyed in a duel. But if you are to play the strategy game Gihren's Greed (available for the Saturn, PS1, PS2, Dreamcast, PSP and PS3), it is possible to give Amuro the Alex and see it operate to its fullest potential and win the One Year War with ease!

• Unit Type: MSZ-006 Prototype Newtype-use Transformable General-Purpose Mobile Suit
• Pilot: Camille Vidan (Z Gundam), Judau Ashita (Gundam ZZ), Roux Louka (Gundam ZZ)
• Appearance: Z Gundam/Gundam ZZ

Though this Gundam is the titled mech, it did not make its first appearance until episode 21. Unlike other Gundam series, this Gundam was designed by Camille himself. While the previous Gundams were blockier in their design, the Zeta is more sharp and sleek. The design allows less resistance for it to move with much swifter speeds. With its armory, its weapons heavily emphasize on beam weaponry, and have a grappling wire that emits an EMP blast to immobile enemy units.

In addition, it can also transform into a plane (aka wave rider mode) which is helpful when entering Earth’s atmosphere or when it needs more of a speed advantage. Last, it is also equipped with the Psycommu system, which allows Newtypes such as Camille to fully utilize their abilities and “be one” with their mobile suit. After Camille was put in sickbay after the events of the Zeta Gundam series, it was given temporary control to the main character of Gundam ZZ, Judau Ashita and after he receives the titled Double Zeta, Judau’s friend Louka becomes its final pilot. However, in its final days after losing its head, it was then replaced with the head of an old Zaku.

• Unit Type: MSZ-010 ZZ Prototype Newtype-use Transformable Multi Purpose Heavy Assault Mobile Suit
• Pilot: Judau Ashita
• Appearance: Gundam ZZ

In the sequel to Zeta, the titled Double Zeta reverts back to the more traditional blocky design along with the grilled faceplate and is more of a throwback to the original RX-78-2 Gundam from the TV series in which it can assume other transformations with one that would emphasize on speed, and another that would emphasize on power.

In a case of emergencies, like the original Gundam, its cockpit could also serve as a separate plane known as a core fighter. Along with its heavy build, it is equipped with missile launchers, a regular mega cannon, a beam attack from its head, a double beat rifle and beam sabres making it capable of all ranges in combat. Due to some of its power limitations, it was given a few upgrades to make up for some of its initial weaknesses. And like its predecessor, due to Jedau being a Newtype, it is equipped with the Psycommu system to handle his abilities.

• Unit Type: RX-98 v Prototype Newtype-use General-Purpose Mobile Suit
• Pilot: Amuro Ray
• Appearance: Char’s Counterattack

Amuro’s final mobile suit will be the Nu Gundam, in which its design is also a throwback to the original suit. A bit larger framed and with a slightly different color scheme (with black instead of blue), he is back on the battlefield better than ever with the latest technology.

Thanks to its predecessors such as the original and the Double Zeta, it is given the best functions to best accommodate Amuro’s abilities. Though funnels played a huge part between the last act of the original Gundam series and throughout Zeta and ZZ, this is the first time ever a Gundam would be equipped with funnels and it served Amuro very well in both offense and defense (since it can also make a temporary shield). Like Char’s Sazabi, Amuro’s Nu Gundam is equipped with the psycho frame, an update to the psycommu system in which the system has more connection than just the pilot’s brain, but also its heart.

So sometimes in great desperation, the system will react to the pilot’s emotions and allow it to serve as a “boost”of power. Thankfully this mobile suit gave Amuro the final victory against Char, but with great sacrifice. Thankfully, the power of his psycho frame triggered by his emotions along with fellow federation pilots also saved the Earth from getting destroyed by Char’s home base of Axis.

• Unit Type: ZGMF-X20A Custom Assault Mobile Suit
• Pilot: Kira Yamato
• Appearance: Gundam SEED Destiny

Though the Cosmic Era is a very strong source of controversy amongst the hardcore Gundam fan base, it is still very difficult to deny the heavy firepower of the Strike Freedom. Its features are meant to accommodate the improved abilities of its pilot, Kira Yamato (who at this point is mockingly referred to as Jesus Kira by fans), who emphasizes more on speed and efficiency. Though its predecessor, the Freedom, packed tremendous power with its cannons in its funnel wings, Strike Freedom takes it to a whole different level that some fans accuse of being overpowered.

Regardless, if one wants to win a war, sometimes you need to the best equipment and the best man for the job. Thankfully, Kira does not abuse the destructive power of the Strike Freedom and does everything he can to avoid killing people by intentionally missing the cockpits of hostile combatants and firing at weak points that do no significant damage. Not only does it pack tremendous weapons, its hardware updates allows it to move at tremendous mobility thanks to Kira’s abilities as a Coordinator and as a Newtype.

• Unit Type: RX-78GP02A Prototype Tactical Nuclear Assault Mobile Suit
• Pilot: Anavel Gato
• Appearance: Gundam 0080 Stardust Memory

At number two, we have The Physalis armed with a nuke! And the bad news, technically nukes are illegal, which makes the Physalis a blacklist project. To make matters worse, it manages to fall into the hands of Zeon ace pilot, Anavel Gato. And don’t let the size fool you!

Thanks to Anavel’s experience and skills, his control allows him to make it flow with ease and fly likes an eagle. Due to its nuclear capabilities, it is appropriately heavily armored and given a shield to protect the pilot from nuclear fallout and to function as a cooling system. When push came to shove, Gato uses the nuke to take out 2/3 of the Federation Fleet near his beloved based of Solomon. Not only is it dangerous from long range due to its special weapon, Gato’s skills manages to make it a fearsome machine in close quarters combat in his duels with his rival, Kou Uraki.

• Unit Type: MRX-009 Prototype Newtype-use Transformable Heavy Assault Mobile Armor
• Pilot: Four Murasame
• Appearance: Z Gundam

Taking number one on this list is the Psycho Gundam piloted by Four Murasame. This Gundam can be classified as a super Gundam since it makes a regular mobile suit look like a human being! Its design is more or less the same as the original Gundam, but of course much bigger and has a black, red, and yellow color scheme. In addition to being designed like a traditional Gundam, it is capable of transforming itself as a giant floating fortress.

Its menacing size allows it to carry a beam gun in its head, a mega particle gun in its chest, and traditional beams from its fingers. To make matters worse, its defense is virtually impregnable with beam weapons having no effect on it. Since it was designed for Newtypes (and Cyber Newtypes), it is appropriately equipped with a Psycommu system making it very deadly in the hands of the mentally unstable Four Murasame.

Final Thoughts

In some instances, it’s the mobile suit that makes the pilot and in others, it’s the reverse. As Captain Bright said in Unicorn, every pilot has taken the Gundam for a reason regardless of circumstances and goes through with it to the end. In some cases, the Gundam itself feels like a living breathing character. Even without their respective pilots, their designs and features give them their own unique identities. But without its pilot, its power can’t be fully utilized.

So for you fans that are either noobs or veterans, what are some of your top 10 favorite Gundams? Until then, look forward to next year’s list.

This top 10 will focus on mecha from the Gundam franchise. There are other series with arguably stronger mecha. However, they start to wander into the territories of magic and artificial life. So, instead we’ll go through some mobile suits that are simpler (just a bit) to quantify and organize into a standard list.

Though these are grouped together for a top 10 list, it is difficult to list them in rank according to strength. There are too many variables to take into account, least of which would be the fact that some of them are from different universes and others contain non-human pilots (or no pilot at all).

But ranking aside, let’s get into the list and see what each of these suits are all about.

• Unit Type: Prototype General-Purpose Mobile Suit
• Pilot: Shinn Asuka
• Appearance: Gundam Seed Destiny ( & Gundam Build Fighters Try )

• Episodes: 50
• Aired: Oct 9, 2004 to Oct 1, 2005

The Destiny is one of the most versatile suits ever created. It was designed to be capable of close quarter as well as mid-range combat. Multiple weapons can be interchanged beforehand to suit the pilot’s needs and fighting conditions.

It was also designed to specifically fit the movements and combat-style of Shinn Asuka. Its composition and joints were created in a way to maximize range of motion and provide greater flexible.

Shinn is able to use this increased movement to easily evade most attacks and close in on his opponent. One of the ways he does this is by combining the “Wings of Light” propulsion system and the Mirage Colloid System. “Wings of Light” allows him to move at speeds that most other suits can’t match. Then, the Mirage system creates after-images meant to confuse the enemy. In unison, Shinn creates a technique that quickly brings him in range to slice through his opponents with the Arondight Beam sword.

• Unit Type: Prototype Newtype-use Psycoframe General-Purpose Mobile Suit
• Pilot: Banagher Links
• Appearance: Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn

• Episodes: OVA 7
• Aired: Feb 20, 2010 to May 17, 2014

Unicorn is the only full-psycoframe mobile suit on this list. Before, I mentioned that the Destiny was built to maximize range of movement and flexibility. Well, the Unicorn takes movement and responsiveness to a whole new level. Psycoframe is a physics defying material that allows the mobile suit to respond to the pilots emotions and thoughts. It works less as a machine and more as an extension of the human body.

You can imagine that that kind of instant response would be a godsend on the battlefield. Its armaments and I-Field Generator are top notch as well. However, the Unicorn does not stop there. The New Type Destroyer System (NT-D) allows Banagher to gain an upper hand when fighting against those with Newtype brainwaves.

When it detects the presence of those brain waves, the Unicorn will enter “Destroyer” mode. This gives all of its stats a substantial boost and gives Banagher the ability to control Newtype weapons and use them against the original owners. This system does have a downside. A normal person is only able to use it for 5-minutes before they succomb to the massive stress it puts on the brain. Fortunately, a person with a strong enough will can overpower this inhibitor and decide how long the Unicorn stays in “Destroyer” mode.

• Unit Type: Prototype Newtype-Use Assault Mobile Suit
• Pilot: Garrod Ran
• Appearance: After War Gundam X ( & Gundam Build Fighters )

• Episodes: 39
• Aired: Apr 5, 1996 to Dec 28, 1996

Often pitted against the Wing Gundam Zero, in online debates, the Double X is one of the few truly strong suits that specializes in far-range attacks. Besides having a Beam Javelin, 2x Chest-mounted Launchers, Head-mounted Vulcans, and a Buster Rifle, it also has access to the Satellite System.

In the After War era, this is known to be the most powerful Gundam weapon in existence. A highly powerful microwave energy beam is sent from one of the stations orbiting Earth, it reaches a mobile suit capable of harnessing this volatile beam. It then converts the microwave energy into a Satellite Cannon that can shoot with precision. It is capable of destroying space colonies in a single shot. On top of that, the Double X has a Twin Satellite Cannon. So, its destructive power is doubled. That kind of power alone makes it worthy of entering a list of top 10 mecha.

• Unit Type: Prototype Transformable General-Purpose Mobile Suit
• Pilot: Uso Ewin
• Appearance: Mobile Suit Victory Gundam ( & Gundam Build Fighters )

• Episodes: 51
• Aired: Apr 2, 1993 to Mar 25, 1994

The V2 is an overall improvement over it’s predecessor. The best new addition, unquestionably, would be the implementation of the Minovsky Drive System. This granted the mobile suit a nearly impenetrable shield, in the form of a high-energy pair of wings. It could also transform the energy into a two extremely powerful beam sabers.

The V2’s armament includes:
* Beam Pistol
* Beam Rifle
* 4x Beam Sabers
* 2x Beam Shields
* 2x Beam Vulcans

These, accompanied with the highly advanced Minovsky Drive System and several interchangeable upgrade packs, combine to create one of the most powerful mobile suits in the Universal Century timeline.

• Unit Type: Prototype DG-Cell Infested Mobile Fighter
• Pilot: N/A
• Appearance: Mobile Fighter G Gundam ( & Gundam Build Fighters )

• Episodes: 49
• Aired: Apr 1, 1994 to Mar 31, 1995

Mobile Fighter G produced some very unique and philosophical mobile suits. Though only one in particular was strong enough to enter our list today. That would have to be the Devil Gundam. This Ultimate Gundam was originally created with three very “overpowered” abilities: self-regeneration, self-evolution, and self-multiplication. These were meant to one day evolve to a level where they could be of use to humanity, perhaps even help cure humanity of diseases or physical disabilities.

However, due to a malfunction, its powers became corrupted and evil. It wanted to continue its mission of healing the world. Unfortunately, it saw humans as the plague that needed to be eradicated in order to save Earth.

Devil Gundam transformed several times as it continued to evolve into ever more powerful forms. It was capable of making enough copies of itself to organize the Devil Army and other variants of its original self. Even though it contained self-regeneration, this ability was greatly diminished without a core unit. The Devil Gundam needed a core unit, a person contained inside the suit, to maximize its three abilities. Given enough time the Devil Gundam could evolve to a being with no equal. So, it stands to reason that it could be the most powerful Gundam on the list.

• Unit Type: Prototype Mobile Suit
• Pilot: Gym Ghingham
• Appearance: Turn A Gundam ( & Gundam Build Fighters )

• Episodes: 50
• Aired: Apr 9, 1999 to Apr 14, 2000

This deadly prototype suit is arguably more deadly than its “brother” suit, the Turn A. Throughout the Turn A Gundam Series it demonstrated its ability to outclass every other mobile suit and was only matched in combat by Rolan Cehack and his Turn A.

It’s unique weapon set includes a mega particle cannon. This is composed of eight separate pieces of itself. Each detached component is capable of firing a mega particle beam.

A destruction manipulator is placed on its right arm. This manipulator is what allows it to perform its “Shining Finger” attack (an ability reminiscent of Shining Gundam).

Also, it contains an energy absorber, or Power Drain, on its chest. It uses this to absorb the energy out of other mobile suits.

The Psycommu System is the most powerful of its technologies. It allows it to separate its body parts and employ long-range attacks. It can be used to fire off the mega particle cannon, encase an enemy in a disabling magnetic-field, or it can monitor enemy vital signs.

The above mentioned abilities are only some of what put it and the Turn A mobile suit in a separate class from the other suits on this list.

• Unit Type: Prototype Interstellar Warfare Mobile Suit
• Pilot: Rolan Cehack
• Appearance: Turn A Gundam ( & Gundam Build Fighters Try )

• Episodes: 50
• Aired: Apr 9, 1999 to Apr 14, 2000

Though the Turn A has a standard set of weapons, it contains a rather unique design compared to most other mobile suits. For starters, it draws its power from a highly advanced power plant, which basically creates artificial black holes.

Apart from that, the Turn A contains nanomachines that are able to convert most matter into sand. This is most prevalent in its “Moonlight Butterfly” attack. It releases the nanomachines to create a defensive shield to protect itself from attacks or it can go forth and deteriorate enemy forces. However, it was unable to do so in its fight against the Turn X. The “brother” units shared equal strength, so the effect created by two simultaneous “Moonlight Butterflies” resembled a cocoon encasing the two pilots and their suits.

Lastly, it is capable of bending light to camouflage itself from enemy surveillance systems. This use gives it the appearance of being able to teleport. It can easily combine this ability with its weapon usage to create devastating attacks on any would-be enemies.

• Unit Type: Custom Innovator-Use Close Quarters Combat Mobile Suit
• Pilot: Setsuna F. Seiei
• Appearance: Gundam 00: Awakening of the Trailblazer

• Episodes: Movie
• Aired: Aired: Sep 18, 2010

This successor to the 00 Raiser was only shown in the Gundam 00 movie. In its base form, the it uses a GN Sword V, various sword bits, and a GN Shield. Though it specializes in close combat, the sword bits can be interchange to create long range weapons as well.

The 00 Qan[T] improves on the Twin Drive System while moving away from the powerful Trans-Am system. Instead, it uses the Quantum System which is more suited to the quantum waves of Innovators.

Apart from the Turn A, Turn X, and Devil Gundam this one could quite possibly be the strongest. The reason for this being the fact that Setsuna can use the Quantum System to enhance his brainwaves, communicate telepathically communicate with others, heighten his already superhuman senses, and utilize danger precognition.

Setsuna’s childhood training as a guerrilla soldier prepared him for battle at an early age. His beliefs and willpower allowed him to become the first true Innovator. Because of these facts, he has seemingly limitless potential when it comes to fighting in a mobile suit.

• Unit Type: X-Rounder-Use General-Purpose Mobile Suit
• Pilot: Kio Asuno
• Appearance: Mobile suit Gundam Age

• Episodes: 49
• Aired: Oct 9, 2011 to Sep 23, 2012

The Advanced Generation of mobile suits all led up to the creation of the AGE-FX. It gathered data from its successor, the Gundam AGE-3 Normal, and quickly became the most powerful mobile suit of the Federation. Though it’s a bit unclear, this suit implements the AGE System. Basically, it can can research human evolution and digitize all of that data. That data is inputted into the mobile suit and allows it to customize and grow alongside its pilot.

It is an all-around fighter type. Though, the Psycho Follow System allows it to use the C-Funnels for simultaneous offense and defense. The most significant upgrade to previous suits is the C-Funnels. These are remote controlled blades that detach themselves from the suit but are still under the pilot’s control. They can be used to establish an offensive attack or to defend an enemy’s assault. When FX Burst Mode is activated the blades become less accurate but they move at much higher speeds. The suit itself then becomes capable of moving at speeds close to 10x its normal speeds. Needless to say, it is very capable of taking on a large group of enemy forces on its own.

Right now, you need to focus on the language and programming principles.

• Unit Type: Prototype Transformable General-Purpose Mobile Suit
• Pilot: Heero Yuy
• Appearance: Gundam Wing

• Episodes: 49
• Aired: Apr 7, 1995 to Mar 29, 1996

This may be one of the most well-known and recognizable mobile suits in the franchise. Its signature weapons are the Twin Buster Rifles. They are an upgrade from the original Wing Gundam’s rifles. These improved weapons are capable of destroying space colonies. It also very capable of close quarters combat with its Beam Saber and Wing Shield.

The “Zero” in its name denotes the implementation of the ZERO System. It is a very advanced system that allows the pilot to see any and all battle information while simultaneously calculating all possible outcomes of a given scenario. The information has to be inputted into the pilot’s mind directly. Obviously, this is a very dangerous technology that can prove disastrous if abused or used by the wrong person.

Fortunately, Heero Yuy was undergone strict training in discipline, body control, and critical thinking since early childhood. On top of that, his genes were modified by Doctor J. So, he is the perfect pilot to maximize the capabilities of the ZERO system. He can process the information while maintaining control of his mind and emotions.

So, that’s about it for the Top 10 Mecha in anime. There are so many options to choose from. I’m sure people have various opinions about who should be included in a list such as this. There’s probably even more debate over which suits are stronger than others. Please let me know which suits you’d put on this last. I look forward to reading your comments!

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