Gundam is, at its core, a story about humanity and hope in the face of the ravages of war and all it can bring. The theme of war has been a staple of anime and science fiction, with many of the creators growing up during the cultural changes brought about by World War II. Gundam expanded on it with a less clear good versus evil dichotomy, showcasing dark deeds on both sides to protect their people and working through very different views of how society should function.
While the rest of the world spent the Cold War worrying about how humanity would end if it became a hot one, the Gundam universe explored how it could happen on a solar scale and how even being free of gravity meant that our natures were still very visible. The franchise looks at the cost of war in a way that many other series never do, as many characters are killed along the way, with the romantic optimism of youth and the hope of those longing for peaceful days they’ve never seen.
This article will look at the top five alternate universes of the Gundam multiverse.
Table of Contents
What is the Gundam universe?
Gundam Universe is a Bandai line of real robot action figures based on mobile suits from the Gundam metaseries. The line debuted in 2019 and is non-scale, with mobile suit figures measuring 6″ tall. These figures are more durable and less expensive than their Robot Damashii counterparts and are aimed at international markets. Since the line’s inception, new figures have been released in three-wave increments.
- Mobile Suit Gundam 00
Gundam 00, arguably one of the most successful alternate universes, is a thoroughly political and profoundly postmodern entry in the franchise, making it an appealing choice for newcomers. Gundam 00 features armed non-state actors, terrorism, and nuanced geopolitics, drawing inspiration from several real-world political conflicts and bearing the sensibilities of the post-9/11 era. The program chooses not to categorize any of its characters as “good” or “bad” but instead shows a deadly struggle between numerous intricate interest groups.
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
Iron-Blooded Orphans is the most recent Gundam alternate universe and the only AU to grace Netflix’s international streaming platform (along with UC titles such as Unicorn and others), giving it an international reach that few other entries in the franchise have. The plot follows an insurgency of mercenary child soldiers attempting to secure a future for themselves at the expense of authorities bent on exploiting them.
Iron-Blooded Orphans is a gritty, exciting, and occasionally tragic Gundam adventure with a punchy screenplay from acclaimed writer Mari Okada and some exciting action sequences that heavily emphasize melee combat.
- Mobile Suit Gundam Seed
Seed and its sequel, Seed Destiny, are two of the franchise’s most contentious entries, with Destiny eliciting particularly strong reactions from longtime fans. Fans describe it as “dramatic,” “intense,” and “thematically nuanced,” while detractors describe it as “soapy,” “incoherent,” and “lacking in depth.” It’s impossible to settle that debate here, but regardless of one’s feelings, Seed is a critical part of Gundam’s history.
For one thing, Seed is one of the most popular and long-lasting Gundam titles, with devoted fans and consistently high sales of plastic model kits featuring the show’s powerful robots. Furthermore, Seed is required viewing for any Gundam fan, if only to properly align themselves in the never-ending fandom war over this anime.
- Turn A Gundam
Turn A Gundam was an anime project created for Gundam’s 20th anniversary in 1999, with original series creator Yoshiyuki Tomino reprising his role as series head director. Tomino drew inspiration from Japanese folklore (specifically the 9th-century classic, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter), theatre, and novels such as War of the Worlds to create one of the most fascinatingly different Gundam titles the franchise has to offer.
The folkloric influences are clear here, lending Turn A a dreamy quality not often found in stories about giant robots battling each other in the name of fictitious space politics. Surrealism is bolstered by a consistently stellar soundtrack from the legendary Yoko Kanno (best known for her work on Cowboy Bebop) and some distinct, love-them-or-hate-them mobile suit designs.
While Turn A isn’t for everyone, it uses its core thematic concepts to draw powerful conclusions about its own story and the metaseries. It’s worth seeing as a capstone to Gundam’s first two decades and a work representative of Tomino’s shifting creative sensibilities.
- Mobile Fighter G Gundam
One of its most distinctive alternate realities is the first Gundam one. As a result of the problematic production of the previous year’s Mobile Suit Victory Gundam, serious creator and director Yoshiyuki Tomino’s interest and enthusiasm for the series began to wane. As a result, 1994 saw the franchise move in a bold new direction and under new creative supervision.
Mobile Fighter G Gundam is about kung-fu warriors competing in an interplanetary giant robot tournament, drastically different from the grim realism and intense political drama of the Universal Century games. Most of the team’s decisions during the development of G Gundam were transparently guided by the rule of cool. While it may not always make sense, it is one of the most entertaining Gundam shows.
Bonus
- Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
Many thousands of fans, particularly those who grew up in North America, first encountered Gundam through Wing, one of the most well-known Gundam anime currently available. The success of the anime on Cartoon Network’s Toonami block from 2000 to 2002 allowed American viewers to experience Gundam for the first time through the dubbed version of Wing.
A significant amount of nostalgia has been sparked by this legacy, and for many newcomers who chose not to explore the franchise further, Wing represents the start and the end of Gundam.
As a result, it can be challenging to separate Wing from its influence in North America. It continues to play a significant role in the Gundam franchise’s global legacy, even though it is difficult to say.
- Mobile Suit Gundam AGE
The first and most important of AGE’s intriguing plot devices was its generational approach to telling its story. AGE follows the lives of three successive generations over roughly 100 years of in-universe history. In contrast, a traditional Gundam narrative would use its 50 episodes or so to tell the stories of several characters across a single conflict.
Bottomline
The multiverse is a favorite plot point for storytellers and their respective audiences due to its limitless possibilities and potential. The same is true for anime, where the concept is used in the same way Western comics do or is used for something entirely different.
