History Anime / MobileSuitGundamSeed

* GattacaBabies: Coordinators are genetically enhanced early in their development; [[spoiler:Kira Yamato]] is a true Gattaca baby in the "grown in a test tube" sense.

* AnimalMecha: The ZAFT [=BuCue=] and [=LaGowe=], a rarity for the saga.

* ArmorPiercingSlap: A very rare inversion -- [[TheHero Kira]] slaps [[{{Tsundere}} Cagalli]] after she continually pesters him for not rescuing enough people. Damn.
* ArtisticLicensePhysics: The [=PLANTs=] are an interesting design for space colonies, but in the course of their rotation, the sun will occasonally shine through the conical windows onto the inhabited surface, which means they wouldn't have enough radiation shielding to protect against solar flares.

* {{Badass}}: Where to begin? Kira deserves special mention, considering that he just suddenly takes the controls of a gundam and starts going up against highly trained Aces, and holds his own against them all, at once!
** Also special mention should go to Yzak Joule, especially in the later parts of the series, with some of the [[MomentofAwesome most intensely badass kills in the genre.]]

* BeamSpam: ''Freedom'', ''Providence'', ''Justice'', and ''Calamity'' being the biggest examples. ''Aegis'' could also count, just instead of beam ''guns'' it spams beam ''sabers''.

* BigDamnHero: Kira, countless times. Though this Trope is also subverted with [[spoiler:Nicole]] and [[spoiler:Tolle]] in episodes 29 and 30, respectively. Both of them try to pull this off [[spoiler: and get killed for their trouble]].

* CoolShip The ''Archangel'', which owes not a little to ''MobileSuitGundam'''s ''White Base.''

* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses: Lacus [[spoiler: and Cagalli]]

* FiveManBand: The Three Ship Alliance's Main Mobile Suit Team

* GoOutWithASmile: Several, ranging from TearJerker to CrowningMomentOfAwesome; [[spoiler:Izumi, Cagalli's adoptive father]], [[spoiler:Mu la Flaga]], who ''laughs'' as he spouts his CatchPhrase and ''explodes'', [[spoiler:Natarle]], who ensures the death of a CompleteMonster with her own, [[spoiler:Flay]], who died thinking [[spoiler:Kira had just saved her]], and [[spoiler: [[BigBad Le Creuset]] who dies smiling because he believes the entire world will soon be following him]]...
* GunsAkimbo: Actually, Freedom can shoot all ''five'' of its guns at once... and hit five targets, too, as long as Kira is the pilot. Then hit five more targets about every tenth of a second. The Freedom Gundam is a master of BeamSpam.

** Kira and Lacus return the favor, [[spoiler: when they jack the Freedom from a ZAFT base.]]

* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: [[spoiler:Andrew Waltfeld]] survives his mobile suit blowing up around him, though [[spoiler:his co-pilot doesn't, and]] he earns some permanent injuries in the process. Kira Yamato survives [[spoiler:Aegis' SelfDestructMechanism to the face]] without so much as a scar, though he's out of commission for some time afterward. And finally, [[spoiler:Mu La Flaga]] is the ultimate champion of this trope, revealed in [[GundamSeedDestiny the sequel]] to have survived [[spoiler:his entire mobile suit being vaporized by a WaveMotionGun]].

* RebelliousPrincess: [[spoiler: Cagalli]]

* TheRemake: Of the original ''MobileSuitGundam'', no less... for the first half or so, anyway.
* LaResistance: Cagalli's cell in North Africa.

* ShoutOut: Waltfeld's personal MS, the [=RaGOWE=], is a nod to Fukuda's earlier series ''GEARFighterDendoh''.

** The title itself is an aversion, though. The lack of a "Seed Gundam" makes the show the only Gundam series to not be named after a specific mecha.
* ThirteenIsUnlucky: ZGMF-X'''13'''A Providence, [[spoiler: Rau Le Creuset's Gundam.]]

* WhatTheHellDad: Sums up Patrick and Athrun Zala's relationship quite nicely. Patrick, a GeneralRipper if ever there was one, treats Athrun as though he were any other subordinate. He expects a lot from Athrun, but only because of his elite status, and has no qualms about [[spoiler: shooting him]] when Athrun starts to question orders.

* RichBitch: Flay, though being rich is hardly the biggest source of her bitchiness.

* WoobieDestroyerofWorlds: Cruesset, a clone of his own father, who grew up with a terrible childhood extremely jealous of Mwu. Later, in life, he starts going through extreme pains as a result of being a clone, and needs to take drugs to stop it. He eventually decided [[HumansAreBastards humans deserved to die.]] And started playing ZAFT and the EA into carrying out genocide.
** Murata Azreal. Yes, that one. Who spent his childhood being bullied by coordinators for being "inferior" as a natural born human. And now he wants his personal revenge against ALL OF THEM.

* ThemeNaming: Of HumongousMecha, no less.

* ThemeNaming: Of HumongousMecha, no less. Although this is averted by omission in one case: ''SEED'' is the only {{Gundam}} TV series that isn't named after a specific mecha.

* RichBitch: Flay. And HOW!

* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Very'' dark for an AlternateUniverse series and you get to watch the atrocities done close up. There is also notably little to no comic relief within the entire series even when compared to ''ZetaGundam'' and ''[[Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam Victory Gundam]]'' which had a couple of lighthearted moments to somewhat offset the dark tone of the series. It still holds the title for being the darkest AU Gundam series.

* FiveBadBand:
** The Le Creuset Team.
*** TheBigBad: Rau Le Creuset, the team leader.
*** TheDragon: Athrun Zala, who acts as "first among equals" for the rest of the team.
*** TheBrute: Yzak Joule, who [[TheBerserker hurls himself recklessly into battle]].
*** TheEvilGenius: Dearka Elsman, the team's DeadpanSnarker.
*** TheDarkChick: Nicol Amalfi, the most emotional member of the team
** The Earth Forces
*** TheBigBad: Muruta Azrael, TheManBehindTheMan to the entire Atlantic Federation.
*** TheDragon & TheEvilGenius: Captain William Sutherland, Azrael's right-hand man and strategist.
*** {{The Brute}}s: Shani Andras, Orga Sabnak, and Clotho Bauer who function as Azrael's muscle.
*** TheDarkChick: Natarle Badgiruel, Captain of the ''Dominion'' and TokenGoodTeammate.

* FiveBadBand: The Le Creuset Team.
** TheBigBad: Rau Le Creuset, the team leader.
** TheDragon: Athrun Zala, who acts as "first among equals" for the rest of the team.
** TheBrute: Yzak Joule, who [[TheBerserker hurls himself recklessly into battle]].
** TheEvilGenius: Dearka Elsman, the team's DeadpanSnarker.
** TheDarkChick: Nicol Amalfi, the most emotional member of the team

* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Very'' dark for an AlternateUniverse series and you get to watch the atrocities done close up. There is also notably little to no comic relief within the entire series even when compared to ''ZetaGundam'' and ''VictoryGundam'' which had a couple of lighthearted moments to somewhat offset the dark tone of the series. It still holds the title for being the darkest AU Gundam series.

* {{Expy}}: Lots of them, thanks to ''SEED'''s similarity to ''MobileSuitGundam''. It also uses character concepts from ''[[MobileSuitGundamWing Gundam Wing]]'' and ''TurnAGundam''. In terms of character design, there are obvious influences from ''InfiniteRyvius'', which isn't surprising since they're from the same designer. Azrael in particular is similar looking to Pat.

* FranchiseKiller: SEED unfortunately was this in the United States. American viewers tuned out from the show due to the heavy edits {{Toonami}} made to the show. The ratings, combined with poor SEED toy sales due to excess ''GGundam'' toys at the time, convinced CartoonNetwork to cancel the show after Episode 26. ''{{Gundam}}'' would not return to American television until 2009, when SyFy began airing ''MobileSuitGundam00.''

* FranchiseKiller: SEED unfortunately was this in the United States. American viewers tuned out from the show due to the heavy edits {{Toonami}} made to the show. The ratings, combined with poor SEED toy sales due to excess ''GGundam'' toys at the time, convinced CartoonNetwork to cancel the show after Episode 26. ''{{Gundam}}'' would not return to television screens until 2009, when SyFy began airing ''MobileSuitGundam00.''

* FranchiseKiller: SEED unfortunately was this in the United States. American viewers tuned out from the show due to the heavy edits {{Toonami}} made to the show. The ratings, combined with poor SEED toy sales due to excess ''GGundam'' toys at the time, convinced CartoonNetwork to kill the dub after Episode 26. ''{{Gundam}}'' would not return to television screens until 2009, when SyFy began airing ''MobileSuitGundam00.''

* DoomedHometown: The Heliopolis space colony

* EvillyAffable: Muruta Azrael, at least until he starts suffering from VillainousBreakdown.

Thanks to its powerful directing, an all-star voice cast, and the never-dwindling emotional tension, ''SEED'' easily became a smash hit in Japan, getting the second highest ratings in Gundam history only behind ''ZetaGundam'' and spawning a televised sequel, ''MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny'', and a manga spinoff, ''GundamSEEDAstray''. An as of yet untitled movie, confirmed to be in production in 2007, is expected to be a GrandFinale of the saga... if it can leave DevelopmentHell. ''SEED'''s success and the announcement of ''Destiny'', the first-ever full-length television sequel to a ''{{Gundam}}'' show outside of the original Universal Century timeline, spawned speculation that CE would become the new UC. However, ''Destiny'' failing to be as successful as ''SEED'', the movie's production stalling, and the subsequent release and success of non-CE series ''{{Gundam 00}}'' have since dashed those hopes. However, recent rumors say that the finale movie will be finished in 2012 and released for Gundam Seed's 10th Anniversary celebration.

** In episode 45, [[spoiler:Rau]] mentions that early on in his embryonic development, his genes were altered. He's a Coordinator, or a partial one.

** In episode 45, Rau mentions that early on in his embryonic development, his genes were altered. He's a Coordinator, or a partial one.

* CuteKidsAndRobots: Though there aren't any cute kids on the permanent cast roster, Birdy and the Haros definitely count as cute robots.