Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam

Lore & Background

The plot is set in Universal Century 0087, eight years after Mobile Suit Gundam and four years after Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. It follows the AEUG as they fight the Titans, an elite Earth Federation task force that kills space citizens demanding equal rights. The story is told through Kamille Bidan, a civilian teenager who steals a Gundam Mk-II and joins the AEUG after a Titans officer mistakenly kills his mother. Key characters from the original series return, including Amuro Ray and Char Aznable (under the alias Quattro Bajeena).

The war escalates as the AEUG attacks the Earth Federation assembly at Dakar, where Quattro reveals his identity as Char and presents evidence of the Titans' use of G3 nerve gas on a colony. The Titans ally with Axis Zeon remnants, leading to a final battle over the Gryps colony laser. Kamille, piloting the Zeta Gundam, kills Titans leader Paptimus Scirocco, but Scirocco's dying mental attack leaves Kamille mentally unstable. The series ends with the AEUG and Earth Federation facing Axis Zeon, leading into Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ.

Reader's Guide

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam is significant as the second Gundam series and a direct sequel to the original 1979 anime. It is often regarded as one of the best shows in the franchise, praised for its dark themes, characters, and improvements over its predecessor. The series was reproduced and compiled into a film trilogy, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation, between 2005 and 2006, which involved many changes to the original storyline and was considered a success in Japan. Director Yoshiyuki Tomino had mixed feelings about the series, noting he should have ended the story in the first TV series, but acknowledged that Zeta made the franchise more popular. The production involved multiple mechanical designers and a delayed appearance of the titular Zeta Gundam due to its complex design, leading to the introduction of the Gundam Mk-II as a placeholder. The series also marked the first time a mechanical animation director was appointed in a Sunrise work.

Did You Know?

• The series was originally announced in November 1984.
• The Zeta Gundam's appearance on the show was delayed until the third cour due to its complicated design and deformation mechanism.
• Director Tomino crammed his frustrations into Zeta Gundam, telling viewers to watch his new Gundam.
• The melodies of the two opening themes and sole ending theme were written by American pop singer Neil Sedaka.