Gundam: The History
The Visionary: Yoshiyuki Tomino
Gundam was created by Yoshiyuki Tomino, a Japanese animator, director, and writer who had worked on various anime projects at Sunrise, an animation studio. Tomino had become dissatisfied with the typical “super robot” shows of the time, which often featured invincible robots powered by fantasy elements and piloted by near-superhuman heroes.
Breaking the Mold: The "Real Robot" Concept
Tomino wanted to bring more realism and depth to the mecha genre. Instead of magical or superheroic machines, he envisioned a world where giant robots—called mobile suits—were tools of war, used by militaries much like tanks or fighter jets. These machines would require skilled pilots, have technical limitations, and exist in a grounded, political universe.
The Launch: Mobile Suit Gundam (1979)
This vision became a reality with the release of Mobile Suit Gundam on April 7, 1979. The series introduced audiences to a futuristic setting where Earth’s space colonies were fighting for independence, and mobile suits were central to the conflict. The story focused on a young protagonist, Amuro Ray, who becomes the pilot of the experimental RX-78-2 Gundam.
Initial Struggles and Later Success
The original series struggled with ratings and was almost canceled. However, after reruns and the release of three compilation movies in the early 1980s, Gundam gained a strong cult following, especially among older teens and adults. The realism, character complexity, and political intrigue resonated with viewers.
The Birth of a Franchise
The original series struggled with ratings and was almost canceled. However, after reruns and the release of three compilation movies in the early 1980s, Gundam gained a strong cult following, especially among older teens and adults. The realism, character complexity, and political intrigue resonated with viewers.
In 1980, The first Gunpla kits were released in Japan. These kits were part of the Mobile Suit Gundam Model Series and were sold following the end of the original anime series’ broadcast run. This marks as the birth of Gundam Plastic Model Kits or GUNPLA.
Gundam: The Animated Series
Except for Mobile Suit Gundam 00, which follows the current calendar era albeit three centuries in the future, all Gundam series are set in a fictional era, with a new calendar adopted after a drastic event or chain of events and typically involve a major conflict involving Earth and space colonies (and in some cases the Moon and terraformed planets). An exception is the Gundam Build timeline, which is set in an alternate present time where all other Gundam installments are fictional.
Mainline Gundam Animated Series
Universal Century Era (1979–1993 and beyond)
The original timeline, known as the Universal Century (UC), became the core of the franchise. It depicts a future where humanity has moved into space, and Earth’s government battles against rebellious space colonies. Key entries include:
I. Mobile Suit Gundam (1979-1980) 43 Episodes
Set in a fictional universe (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 and much of Earth’s ecosystem, the war settled into a bitter stalemate lasting over eight 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.
II. Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (1985-1986) 50 Episodes
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, the second installment in the Gundam franchise, and a sequel to the original Mobile Suit Gundam. The show was created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, with character designs by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, while the series’ mechanical designs are split among Kunio Okawara, Mamoru Nagano, and Kazumi Fujita. The series was originally aired on Nagoya Broadcasting Network and its sister ANN stations between 1985 and 1986.
The plot is set in the futuristic “Universal Century” timeline and takes place eight years after the events of the original series. Zeta centers on a new conflict that is formed between two new factions – the Titans, a corrupt task force formed by the Earth Federation, and the Anti-Earth Union Group (AEUG), a rebel group that seeks to end the Titans. The show is told through the perspective of Kamille Bidan, a teenage member of the AEUG and pilot of the RX-178 Gundam Mk-II, and later the MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam. Several main characters from the previous Gundam series return in supporting roles, including Amuro Ray and his rival Char Aznable, the latter of which returns as a pilot for the AEUG under the new identity of Quattro Bajeena.
III. Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (1986 - 1987) 47 Episodes
As the continuation of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, this series once again follows the story of the Anti Earth Union Group (AEUG) battleship Argama after Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam‘s final episode. To fight off the Axis Zeon, now called the Neo Zeon, Captain Bright Noa recruits a group of teenage junk collectors led by the loudmouthed but powerful Newtype Judau Ashta to pilot the Argama‘s mobile suits. Now sporting a line-up of the behemoth ZZ Gundam and the returning Zeta Gundam, Gundam Mk-II and the Hyaku Shiki, the group is nicknamed the Gundam Team. As such, this became the first of a number of Gundam series where a team of Gundam mobile suits fight alongside each other regularly. The climax takes place at Side 3 in the Battle of Axis.
Out of the major Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam characters, Captain Bright Noa and Axis leader Haman Karn are featured prominently in Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ; Hayato Kobayashi, Kamille Bidan, Fa Yuiry, Wong Lee, Yazan Gable, Mineva Lao Zabi, and the children Shinta and Qum are featured in various episodes as well; Sayla Mass, who had appeared in the first series but had no speaking role in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, also appeared in several episodes of Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ; Char Aznable’s planned appearance was canceled when Tomino was given the go-ahead to do the Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack film. Yoshiyuki Tomino’s original plan for the show which involved Char’s return was never revealed, nor does Tomino himself remember it. Also, aside from the openings and story recap/preview episode, Amuro Ray does not make an appearance in the series either.
