Gundam Archives

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Pioneering Anime Series

In the year Universal Century 0079, the space colonies have declared war on the Earth Federation, led by the Principality of Zeon. In one of these colonies, the Earth Federation is storing and testing a new piloted robot, the RX-78 Gundam, for use in the battle against the Principality of Zeon.

The Story

The experimental RX-78 Gundam mobile suit is forced into combat with a civilian pilot, Amuro Ray, and an untested crew before it can be transported to the Federation’s HQ on Earth. With few resources available against the Zeon’s brightest and best, will they be able to escape, let alone deliver the RX-78 to Earth?

Characters

• Amuro Ray: The protagonist of the series, a civilian pilot who becomes the pilot of the RX-78 Gundam.
• Bright Noa: The captain of the White Base, the spaceship that carries the RX-78 Gundam.
• Sayla Mass: A member of the White Base crew and Amuro’s friend.
• Char Aznable: A skilled pilot of the Principality of Zeon and the rival of Amuro Ray.

Mechanics

• RX-78 Gundam: The mobile suit piloted by Amuro Ray, equipped with advanced technology and powerful weapons.
• MS-06F Zaku II: The mobile suit piloted by Char Aznable, a high-performance mobile suit of the Principality of Zeon.

Impact

Mobile Suit Gundam, directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, is a pioneering anime series that has spawned numerous sequels, model kits, and video games. It has become a cultural phenomenon in Japan and has influenced the mecha genre as a whole.

Trivia

• The original concept for the anime was much darker, with Amuro dying halfway through the series.
• The design for the Gundam was originally supposed to be a uniform low-visibility gray, but the show’s sponsors wanted a more marketable toy line, resulting in the iconic white, red, blue, and gold scheme.
• The series won the Animage’s Anime Grand Prix Award twice, in 1979 and 1980.

Release

Mobile Suit Gundam was originally broadcast in Japan in 1979 and has since been released on DVD and Blu-ray in various countries, including North America and the UK.