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1! All spoilers for ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' are unmarked. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned!
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3[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zeta_gundam_1401.jpg]]
4[[caption-width-right:350:''Believe in a sign of Zeta.'']]
5
6->''"Men are perhaps born to fight each other. And women are perhaps fated to be their tools."''
7-->--'''Reccoa Londe'''
8
9''Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam'' (''Kidou Senshi Zeta Gundam'') is the second installment in the ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' franchise, and one of the most well-received. It is also one of the darkest installments. The original sequel to ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'', Zeta Gundam's story follows TeenGenius Kamille Bidan, who joins the rebellious AEUG out of hatred for the Federation. Following the One Year War, the [[TheFederation Earth Federation]] has created a special, elite branch of the military to police the space colonies and prevent anything like the One Year War from happening again. Unfortunately for all involved, this group, the Titans, are oppressive, corrupt, and elitist, believing that those born on Earth are inherently superior.
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11''Zeta Gundam'' features a much older and mature new cast; however, this new cast is also supported by many characters from the original series such as Captain Bright Noa, Amuro Ray, and Char Aznable wearing a PaperThinDisguise as Quattro Bajeena.
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13In 2005, a series of movies titled ''Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation'' began, which remastered the series' animation and added new animation as well. In addition, the story was given a new, LighterAndSofter BittersweetEnding that would have apparently retconned ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ'' and possibly ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack'', if not the entire rest of the Universal Century timeline, out of canon, if not for [[Creator/YoshiyukiTomino Tomino]] [[WordOfGod explicitly saying]] it's just an AlternateUniverse retelling of ''Zeta''.
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15''Zeta'' is a mainstay in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'', being in every game (minus Shin) until ''Judgment'', where after that all UC was excluded from the handheld titles, but reappears in ''Z'' and ''Another Century's Episode R'', as well as returning UC to handhelds in ''Z2''.
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17During its initial run, ''Zeta'' had the highest rating of any ''Gundam'' series before and since. The show continues to be extremely popular in Japan, and its model kit sales continually get near the top of the ''Gundam'' lists. As a result, the show is also more or less the single most important production, from a meta-textual perspective, in the entire ''Gundam'' franchise; While ''Mobile Suit Gundam'' kicked the franchise off, it is ''Zeta Gundam'' that established the tone and ideal of what "''Gundam''" should be in the zeitgeist, and ''every single Gundam show'' that's followed in the decades since ''Zeta'' aired owes something to it. Every single one. Yes, even ''Franchise/SDGundam''.
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19----
20
21!!''Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam'' has examples of:
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23* TwoDSpace: Usually PlayedStraight but the series does shake things up. During episode 30 Gady engages the AEUG ships by deploying a team of MS's to attack them front and center while the Titan ships position themselves below the battle and fire at an upward angle.
24* AceCustom: Amuro's MSK-008 Dijeh, which is basically a souped-up Rick Dias.
25* AdaptedOut: Several characters and Mobile Suits were cut from ''A New Translation'' due to the story being condensed and made easier to follow.
26** Jerid no longer gets a Galbaldy Beta in this adaptation. He'd originally gotten it to honor Lila after she was killed but due to her dying much later he's already in a Marasai by the time she passes and afterwards goes directly to his more advanced suits.
27** The Kilimanjaro arc cut, Amuro's Dijeh was absent from the movies. Four may have also suffered DeathByAdaptation as a result.
28** With Rosamia's role greatly reduced she does not return to antagonize the heroes after her first arc and thus the Psyco Gundam Mk. II was removed.
29** With Rosamia's reduced role, Gates Capa never appears in the movies either.
30* AirborneAircraftCarrier: The ''Audhumla''.
31* AlasPoorVillain: Several antagonists get this treatment.
32** [[spoiler:Lila]] who's faith in the Federation had been shaken ultimately falls to Kamille's superior piloting.
33** [[spoiler:Mouar]] who dies defending [[spoiler:Jerid]] from a fatal blow, and visits him in a short vision after death encouraging him to fight on. Even Kamille, their killer, felt bad about having done it.
34* AnimationBump: The compilation films, being made twenty years after the original series, feature considerably better animation in some places. Unfortunately, Sunrise wouldn't give Tomino the budget to completely re-animate everything, so the new animation is mixed in with hefty amounts of the original footage and there is a stark contrast as a result.
35* AntiVillain: Though not as clear cut compared to the last series, most of the antagonists that aren't completely [[{{Jerkass}} jerkasses]] end up here.
36** Jerid hates Kamille with a passion and does many terrible things as a result, but if he ''does'' come to care for someone besides himself, he does so ''very'' deeply.
37** Sarah is introduced as not being willing to take lives if she can help it, only rescinding this notion due to Scirocco's manipulations, and even then, not completely.
38** Assorted antagonists like Lila and Ajis are shown to only follow orders when they're under the impression it's for the greater good and for keeping peace, but when Kamille gives them reason that it isn't the whole picture, their consciences have them hesitate accordingly.
39* AnyoneCanDie: One of the series where Tomino easily lives up to his "Kill 'Em All" reputation.
40* ArmorIsUseless: Actually something of a plot point. With the widespread use of [[EnergyWeapons beam weaponry]], conventional armor became largely... well... useless. This resulted in the advent of 'movable frame' technology, where mobile suits were no longer made of big blocks of metal, but freely-moving armor plates over a flexible, agile 'skeleton'. Not only did this boost their maneuverability tremendously, but it eventually led to suit engineers figuring out that you could contort the frame into a non-humanoid shape if you wanted... and thus the TransformingMecha was born.
41** Finally averted with the PMX-003 The-O, which was simply too big and tough for beam guns to make a dent in its armor. Scirocco's engineering genius probably helped, too.
42* ArtisticLicensePhysics: Subverted in episode 3: The Titans send an MS with a white flag to the AEUG. At first, the flag seems to be flapping...in space. But after it lands on the ''Argama'', there's a shot of the flagpole which shows a set of gasjets de-activating.
43* AuthorAppeal: ''Zeta Gundam'' was the first ''Gundam'' anime in which the themes of overpopulation and environmentalism featured in a major way. In real life, Tomino himself is deeply concerned with these issues, and they appear in every ''Gundam'' anime that he writes from this series onwards.
44* AwesomeButImpractical: The Titans walk the path of Zeon not just in their extremist methods but the flashy but counterproductive approach to technology.
45** The Titans research into new experimental weaponry produced a number of powerful Mobile Suits... that saw only limited production. In terms of mass-produced grunt suits, the Titans were significantly lacking, with the GM II outdated before the start of the Gryps Conflict and the Galbaldy Beta and Hi-Zack not being that great in terms of performance (supplementary materials noted that the Hi-Zack's power input was especially poor with the model only being able to wield a beam rifle or beam sword, never both, something which the inferior GM II could do). The Titans produced a handful of powerful prototypes and individual units but one powerful soldier backed by a squadron of subpar grunts wouldn't cut it against the powerful AEUG and Axis mechs backed by grunts that were up to snuff. The Barzam, Marasai, and, to a lesser extent, Asshimar were much better mass-production units, but, like the Principality's Gelgoog from the OYW, they ended up being produced too late into the conflict.
46** Cyber-Newtypes produced some especially powerful soldiers capable of becoming a OneManArmy when given the right suit. Unfortunately they were unstable, unruly, difficult to control, and most test subjects died before they could be put to use. Jamitov himself considered ending the program because he felt the benefits didn't justify the procedure's poor track record.
47** The Colony Laser. Despite its huge power, the firing angle can't be controlled too precisely, and its loading time is quite long, so getting a direct shot on a target in the middle of a fight would be difficult.
48* AwfulWeddedLife: Kamille's parents. His dad's affair weighs heavily on the family but Kamille mentions that his mother was too interested in her own work to care that much.
49* BackupFromOtherworld: [[spoiler:During the duel with Scirocco, Kamille uses his psychic powers(powered up by the Zeta's bionsensor) to summon the spirits of Four, Emma, Rosamia, Katz, Sara, Reccoa and even Lila to jam Scirocco's mobile suit The-O and then ram into it with the Waverider]].
50* BadassNormal: If a character isn't a confirmed Newtype, and can hold their own in this series, they qualify.
51** Lila quickly establishes herself here when she manages to consistently put up a fight ''Char'' whenever they fight.
52** Emma doesn't do anything too flashy, but she's the most consistently reliable of the pilots the ''Argama'' has to offer and easily qualifies as TheAce after her first few battles.
53** HeroKiller Yazan Gable has no Newtype powers and doesn't pilot a [[BiggerStick Gundam]]. We don't recommend throwing down with him anyway.
54* BadassBystander: During the Titans' takeover of Granada, one civilian boy does his best to keep Jerid from pursuing Kamille and Katz as they try to escape during a fight in the city.
55* BaitAndSwitchBoss: [[spoiler:Jamitov and Bask. Initially set up as the main villans, they're soon supplanted by Scirocco.]]
56* BarbieDollAnatomy: Occassionally, when Kamille’s Newtype powers and awareness are kicked into high gear, he or his opponent are shown having an OutOfClothesExperience and are depicted like this. Averted whenever female characters are shown naked outside of battle such as Lila in the shower or WomanChild Rosamia forgetting to put a shirt back on after a physical.
57* BattleCouple: Jerid and Mouar, and possibly Jerid and Lila. [[spoiler: neither one ends well.]]
58* BewareTheSuperman: Amuro's exploits during the OYW have instilled in the Federation a healthy fear of Newtypes, to the point where they have placed Amuro under house arrest and have much of the former ''White Base'' crew under surveillance. While this results in some unforgivable acts of cruelty, the ambitions and exploits of Scirocco and Haman show the audience what evil Newtypes are capable of.
59* BirdRun:
60** Sarah, in one scene where she imagines she's a civilian.
61** Four prominently does this during her meeting with Kamille on a Hong Kong rooftop, and this ends up being associated with her in the second opening.
62* BlackAndGrayMorality: The Titans are mostly characterized by a combination of being power-hungry, selfish, bigoted, and smug, with a few exceptions like Jerid, Mouar, Sarah, Ajis, and [[spoiler:Reccoa]]. While the AEUG opposes the Titans as their agenda, their members and supporters aren't paragons of virtue either. Kamille makes his MS piloting debut bullying a Titans officer and laughing about it, Katz very frequently makes his own impulsive and selfish decisions--such as launching without permission--that end up endangering both himself and others on multiple occasions, Wong and Beltorchika's abrasive behaviors end up causing more strife than necessary, among others.
63* BlandNameProduct: [[UsefulNotes/McDonalds MacDaniels]], a "hamburger restaurant."
64* BlingBlingBang: The Hyaku-Shiki, to MemeticMutation levels.
65* BoringButPractical:
66** The Methuss, probably the weakest and least polished of the AEUG's mobile suits, goes on to lend its transformation mechanisms to a variety of superior models like the Guncannon Detector and ZII from the ''Mobile Suit Variations'' line, and the [=ReZEL=] from ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn Gundam Unicorn]]''.
67** Scirocco's third mobile suit, the PMX-002 Bolinoak Samaan. It's the least striking of his designs and probably the weakest, but it's equipped with a sophisticated surveillance radome which entirely justifies this trope - it's intended to gather information and report back, not engage in protracted conflicts.
68** On the character side, there's Gates Capa, the third and last Cyber-Newtype. He's a stark contrast to Four and Rosamia - while not nearly as powerful as either of them, he's also immune to the mental breakdowns both ladies are cursed by.
69* BreakOutTheMuseumPiece: Hayato has a functional pre-UC rocket that he uses to send Kamille and Quattro back to space. Justified in that he runs a museum around what used to be the Kennedy Space Center as a cover for his Karaba activities.
70* BroadStrokes: ''A New Translation'' to an extent. Many of the story's events still happen over the course of the films, though not ''quite'' exactly in the same way it did in the original show. But the most significant departure, however, is the ending [[spoiler:that has Kamille ''surviving'' his battle with Scirocco in one piece]].
71* BrokenBird: Four, Rosamia, Sarah, and Reccoa.
72* CallingYourAttacks: Happens once, at the end of the third movie.
73* CantCatchUp: Applies to both pilots and mobile suits.
74** Fa always tries to establish herself among the other pilots of the ''Argama'' and only manages to do it a handful of times rather than consistently. It's even worse when the most she's able to get her hands on is the Methuss, which also qualifies for this trope.
75** And on the other side of the war, there's Jerid. He gets more mobile suit upgrades than any other pilot, but no matter what the Titans give him he can't compete with Kamille, whether the latter is in the Mk. II or the Zeta.
76** Despite being developed after the Mk. II, the Hyaku-Shiki doesn't have the specs to match due to being a FlawedPrototype. The only thing that keeps it from being destroyed in the later stages of the conflict is because [[TheAce Char]] is piloting it.
77* CallBack:
78** Bright somberly notes that he lost "[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam another]]" ship when he's forced to abandon the Temptation after he and the rest of the survivors from the Green Noa attack meet up with the ''Argama''.
79** To try and play up the idea that he's a person separate from Char, early in the series, Quattro feigns either ignorance or some admiration when he refers to characters and plot beats from the last series, such as saying he knows he can trust Hayato's and Kai's expertise because they were former members of the ''White Base''.
80* CartwrightCurse: Between Jerid and Kamille, [[spoiler: Mouar, Lila, Four and Rosamia are killed off. The first three get killed off by their love interest's rival, and the last is simply killed by Kamille to prevent her from destroying the ''Argama''.]] As a point of interest, this is just one of the reasons Kamille and Jerid become rivals.
81* ChickMagnet: Scirocco. He manages to end the series with a harem of Newtype women ace pilots, most of which had defected to his side. He basically makes bishie charm a ''newtype power''. Kamille gets a bit of this as well, with Fa, Four Murasame, Rosamia, Sarah and arguably Emma...
82* CliffHanger: [[spoiler: Kamille's mind is crushed by Scirocco, and even though the Titans have been defeated, Axis Zeon has not]]. Thankfully, ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ'' gave us a proper conclusion.
83* ColorCodedCharacters: Unlike the Federation uniforms worn by the main cast of the last series, and to contrast the Titans, the AEUG dress code isn't as strict by allowing members to choose their own colors if they want, resulting in this. Kamille's uniform is blue, Emma's and Katz's are green, Fa's is yellow, and of course, Char's is red.
84* CompilationMovie: Three of them... produced twenty years later; the show is ''that'' popular. Being twenty years older than the series they were based on, the new footage demonstrates considerably [[AnimationBump better animation]].
85* ContinuityNod: All over the place.
86** Most prominently is the majority of the first episode, which has:
87*** Three mono-eye mobile suits being sent to a Side 7 colony where a Gundam is being kept.
88*** The son of the Gundam's foremost engineer(s) seizing the opportunity to pilot it.
89*** Recreating the exact framing from when the RX-78 took its first step off its transportation vehicle.
90** During one battle, Emma in the Mk. II faces off against a Hizack, and eventually the Hizack is directly pushed up against the Mk. II, face to face, in a way to evoke Char and Amuro's infamous last charge against each other in the final episode of Mobile Suit Gundam, complete with the exact same framing.
91** During the battle to protect the shuttle launch, the Hyaku-Shiki recreates "Last Shooting" by shooting a beam rifle directly skyward with its right arm. Thankfully, the Hyaku-Shiki is fully intact when this happens.
92** When Haman uses her funnels against Scirocco, the method and framing for Scirocco destroying them is mirrored from when Amuro did the same thing against Lalah. To top it off, [[spoiler: Sarah takes the bullet for Scirocco when Katz attempts to kill him, much like Lalah did for Char.]]
93* CoolBigSis: Emma to most of the younger members of the ''Argama'', though for Kamille in particular she also borders on being a mother figure on top of it. Reccoa was also one for Kamille. [[spoiler:Until she defected, that is]].
94* CoolStarship: The ''Argama''.
95* CorporalPunishment: '''''Everyone'''''. The one who gets hit the most would probably be Kamille.
96-->'''Emma''': "Correction. That's a military term for hitting someone."
97* CorruptPolitician: The series is loaded with them, Jamitov perhaps being the worst.
98** The Earth Politicians cede more and more power to the Titans which Blex feels shows a lack of care for those suffering in space. Notably Colony Politicians are far more distrustful of the Titans.
99** This trope is PlayedWith in Episode 29. The Mayor of a group of colonies is under extreme pressure when one colony is targeted by the Titans for a gas attack. The Mayor goes full ObstructiveBureaucrat and repeatedly fights the AEUG sympathizing staff in his colony, to the point of having one (non-fatally) shot. He's attempting to reason with the Titans, an act which everyone derides as especially foolish. For all of his actions, the man isn't portrayed unsympathetically, he's acting out of the concern of innocent civilians who're about to be killed (and since he's safe he isn't acting on self interest) and he does have a point in that the AEUG can barely protect them with so few units. The problem is that the AEUG knows if he bows to Titan threats they'll just be submitting to fascists who'll kill them if given the chance. When he reappears during the Titans next attack, he refuses to negotiate with them and keeps faith in the AEUG.
100* CreepyCrosses: Present only in ''A New Translation''. To further highlight his DarkMessiah nature that was barely touched upon in the original, Scirocco's The-O emits a cross-shaped beacon from its head to guide the Titan fleet with. [[spoiler:He winds up getting distracted by the Char/Haman psychodrama and leads his fleet right into the path of the colony laser.]]
101* CrucifiedHeroShot: [[spoiler: The Zeta Gundam does this in the final battle as Kamille uses the Biosensor to channel the souls of his deceased friends]].
102* CumbersomeClaws: The RX-160 Byarlant was designed for aerial superiority and intercepting enemy forces entering Earth's atmosphere from orbit. However, the unique shape of its hands (basically three articulated claws) meant that it couldn't use the mass-produced weapons of other Mobile Suits and so was completely reliant on its built-in palm-mounted beam cannons or uniquely-shaped beam sabers.
103* CyberCyclops: Most mobile suits look like this, since by this point the majority of mobile suit designs are based on and incorporate Zeon tech.
104* DarkActionGirl: Sarah Zabiarov, Mouar Pharaoh, and [[spoiler: Reccoa]].
105* DarkerAndEdgier: Compared to the original Mobile Suit Gundam, which was already pretty dark in itself. Zeta has been called one of the darkest Gundam series ever made, with the only other franchise entries that can compare are ''[[Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam Victory Gundam]]'' and ''[[Manga/MobileSuitGundamThunderbolt Thunderbolt]]''. Its darkness is at least partially what makes it a fan favorite.
106* DatingCatwoman: Katz tries this with Sarah. It... doesn't work, to say it lightly.
107* DealWithTheDevil: In order to get help in disabling a Titan superweapon before it can destroy Granada, the AUEG is forced to [[spoiler:promise Haman their support in restoring the Zabi family to control of Side 3 (Zeon), setting the stage for the sequel series.]]
108* DeathTrap: Befitting their often-cartoonish level of evil (especially early in the series, when this happens), the Titans react to Kamille's joining the AEUG and helping them steal the Gundam Mk IIs by locking up the boy's mother (who wasn't even an enemy MS designer, but someone on their own payroll!) and putting her in a coffin-sized cylinder in space with minimal life support and demands for Kamille to surrender himself by a certain time or they'll destroy the capsule. [[spoiler:Jerid is tricked into destroying the capsule, being told it contained a bomb]].
109* DesignatedGirlFight: Avoided throughout most of the series, but done in the GrandFinale with [[spoiler: Emma and Reccoa. Emma wins, but she dies soon afterwards]].
110* DeusExMachina: In the final two episodes [[spoiler:the Newtype powers that up until this point had been portrayed as a weird form of telepathy suddenly escalate in both power and utility without any prior hint at this even being possible, leading to things such as the Zeta Gundam being protected by an energy barrier as well as having it's weapons powered up to even disabling enemy machines. All this is ultimately what allows Kamille to defeat the superior opponent Scirocco and his machine The-O]].
111* DiedInYourArmsTonight: [[spoiler:Four and Emma both die in Kamille's arms.]]
112* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything:
113** The episode where Reccoa is captured by Yazan. It seems like the entire scene is that of a woman getting raped/being beaten. Far from enjoying it, Reccoa seems to stand for abused significant others who have become resigned to what they see as their fate (or who have become victims of UsefulNotes/StockholmSyndrome).
114** Kamille and Four are StarCrossedLovers that are kept apart both because they happened to be on opposite sides and because Four is torn over whether she values her past memories that the Titans can possibly get back fod her or Kamille more. While the story frames Four as a tragic character that’s torn between two desires, the fact that she either leaves or forces Kamille to leave her by threatening him with violence and actually tries to kill him on multiple occasions combined with her own statement that “I love you but sometimes I turns into a different person” likens the relationship to an abusive one.
115* DodgeTheBullet: Jamitov dodges a pistol shot from Quattro when they accidentally meet at Kilimanjaro.
116* DownerEnding: Although [[spoiler: Kamille succeeds in destroying Scirocco for good, he goes insane in the process. The evil Titans are finally annihilated for good, but save for Fa, Quattro, and Bright, all the other heroes of AEUG die a horrible death, and Haman successfully gives Zeon a chance to rise to its former power, endangering the future of Earth once again.]]
117** ''A New Translation'' changed this [[spoiler:to something more bittersweet: yes, most of the cast still die. Yup, there's still a lot of bloodshed. However, Kamille doesn't get mind-fried, we see other characters reacting to the news (which includes Amuro, the Kobayashi family and Mirai), Haman retreats and arranges for Mineva to go to school on Earth, and the last scene is of Fa and Kamille hugging in space happily.]]
118* {{Dubtitle}}: On the original Region 1 DVD release. Subsequent re-releases fixed this.
119* ElectricTorture: Courtesy of the electrified whips and netting used by Hambrabi pilots.
120* EliteMooks:
121** For the Titans it's the Marasai and the Barzam both much more powerful and maneuverable than their standard machines (Hi-Zacks, GM [=IIs=], and Galbaldys) the Marasai's initially debuted as commander suits. As the series goes on they become much more standard grunt suits, the Titan's previous suits being dated by the start.
122** For the AEUG it's the Rick Dias. The suit's heavily armed and highly agile; surpassing the performances of the standard issue AEUG GM's and Nemos. A number of the named characters utilize it, including Char and Amuro.
123* EmbarrassingFirstName: Kamille and Four both discuss their names and what they mean to them after they meet.
124* EnemyCivilWar: [[spoiler: A covert one. Scirocco and his followers disrupt the Titans leadership from within, and Scirocco ultimately kills the higher-ups that oppose him and takes over the group.]]
125* TheEngineer: Astonaige serves this role to the AEUG, and befitting his indispensable nature he sticks around through ''ZZ Gundam'' and ''Char's Counterattack''.
126* EvenEvilHasStandards: Scirocco, who starts the series as TheStarscream, opposes the actions of his superiors Jamitov and Bask, and even sends Sarah to disrupt one of their plans. Granted, it was for self-serving purposes...
127** [[spoiler: Reccoa]] might be a traitor, but they were ''real'' happy to kill Bask as soon as they could. In fact, more than one Titan was NOT pleased to see the effects of the [[spoiler:mass gassings: Gady Kinsey even gets a CMOA for managing to bullshit his way out of one and living to tell the tale]].
128* EvilCounterpart:
129** [[spoiler:Reccoa,]] to Emma. The differences in their motives for defecting from their respective factions give a demonstration of the difference between following your heart and conscience vs. simply following your feelings.
130** Scirocco to Kamille as well. They're both ambiguously autistic, mobile suit engineering geniuses, and powerful Newtypes. The difference between them is compassion - Kamille is driven by it, while Scirocco has none of it.
131* EvilIsBigger: The Psyco Gundam, Psyco Gundam II, and anything designed by Scirocco will subscribe to this trope.
132* EvilWearsBlack: The Titans have distinctive black uniforms to emphasize their StateSec nature and military rule, while Haman's black clothing goes with her status as Evil Chancellor of Axis and would-be conqueror of Earth.
133* {{Fanservice}}:
134** There's a bit here and there, such as the brief shot of Lieutenant Lila in the shower, or Fa being in the shower while trying to wash Qum and Shinta, or Four taking a bath, or Rosamia with her shirt off.
135** There's a little bit for the ladies, as well: Kamille is seen in his underwear a couple of times and is also seen removing his shirt at least once. In addition to that, he gets a short shower scene. Quattro's bare arms can also count.
136* FairytaleMotifs: Invoked by the title of episode 19, "Cinderella Four." Four poses as a civilian to escape the restricted life she has under her superiors and caretakers, but ends up meeting and falling in love with a boy she meets in the process. However, the pretense is broken upon the stroke of midnight, when Four has to meet back with a Titans officer and Kamille is there to witness it. One could make the argument that the Psyco Gundam acts as her own morbid equivalent to Cinderella's glass slipper, as it's shown that the Psyco Gundam can only be effectively piloted by Four alone.
137* FakeShemp: Sunrise used Creator/YouInoue's voice-over clips for Sayla Mass' appearance in ''A New Translation'', allowing Inoue to reprise the character one last time.
138* FamedInStory: The surviving ''White Base'' crew in general are this, being treated as veterans and war heroes in public. In private however, TheFederation see likes of Amuro and Bright as a threat, in part due to and in spite of said reputation.
139* FantasticRacism: Titans and a few members of the non-Titans Federation members towards Spacenoids, who aren't even a splinter offshoot of humanity like Newtypes, but simply humans who live in space.
140* FascistButInefficient: The Titans rival the old Principality of Zeon when it comes to wastefulness and inefficiency. They pump out {{Super Prototype}}s by the hangar-full), gas colonies wholesale instead of attempting to make any other use of them later on, and spend so much time fighting amongst each other that they squander their early superiority over the AEUG and eventually allow Axis to play them like fiddles.
141* FinalBossPreview: [[spoiler:Scirocco sorties against the ''Argama'' crew a couple times early in the series. After that he's not seen piloting a mobile suit again until the last five episodes.]]
142* FirstGirlWins: By default, because [[spoiler:Kamille's only other love interest is dead.]]
143* FourPhilosophyEnsemble: The five main pilots that we see throughout the series encompass all the types.
144** Quattro/Char as The Cynic, as his experience as a pilot ends up lending itself to not just a sense of practicality to battle and the overall conflict, but also a pronounced lack of guilt and empathy, both of which he ends up trying to impart to Kamille.
145** Fa as the Optimist, as she takes up piloting in order to try and contribute what she can and to support Kamille, but unfortunately sorties with a lack of forethought and outright stubbornness that can endanger herself and others. Conversely, she's still decidedly loyal and maintains her moral core even as the series gets progressively darker.
146** Emma as the Realist, as she is far and away the most reliable and the most consistently level-headed of all the AEUG pilots. She's more of a disciplinarian than Bright is in the last series, a consummate professional, and tries to instill the idea that people's impulses and emotions are secondary to the bigger picture.
147** Amuro starts off as the Apathetic, as he recognizes the Titans aren't in the right, but has insisted on staying uninvolved from the Titans' inception until partway through the series due to his terrible experiences from fighting in the last war.
148** Kamille as a particularly vocal version of the Conflicted, as he's highly emotionally dependent and driven and begins fighting for the AEUG for selfish reasons. Despite this, he has an prominent sense of empathy, which leads him to sympathize with a few Titans' members regardless of his self-pronounced hatred of all of them.
149* ForegoneConclusion: The moment that the EF Parliament outlaws the Titans, there is no longer a way for them to win. With nowhere left to turn except Haman (who is simply using them for her own ends), the Titans are going down, no matter who wins out. The question is not if the Titans will lose, but rather how many of our heroes they are going to take down with them.
150* FragileSpeedster: Most of the mobile suits in this series sacrifice durability for mobility. Since beam weapons have become commonplace and can rip through most armor with ease, the mobility to dodge attacks is more important than armor.
151* {{Foreshadowing}}:
152** Quattro tells Roberto [[spoiler:in the first episode that his overconfidence will get him killed some day. Not even halfway through the series, he underestimates the new Assimar mobile armor, and gets killed.]]
153** The second opening to Zeta has a shot of Quattro removing his sunglasses and then has his face framed in shadow, with a contemplating look. [[spoiler:Fast forward to ''Char's Counterattack,'' and...]]
154** Similarly, it is quite noticeable how almost no one is smiling in the second Opening, with Four being one notable exception and Kamille's thumbs-up animation recycled from the first opening has been edited to remove his smile. [[DownerEnding We all know where they were headed]].
155** When Reccoa is first sent to try and infiltrate the ''Jupitris'', only to meet Scirocco, she's still able to give very detailed sketches of what she saw of the ship's interior, save for one particular mobile suit that she strangely can't recall and leaves blank in its placement in the hangar in her sketches. [[spoiler: This mobile suit is the Palace Athene, which she will eventually pilot come her FaceHeelTurn]].
156* GenderIsNoObject: The series showed strong female characters and lampshaded gender in/equality on both sides. Which would become recurring elements in later Universal Century works and a number of ''Gundam'' shows in general.
157* GenocideBackfire: The Titans gas colony after colony hoping to crush Spacenoid dissent, but all it does is outrage those not just in space, but all across the Earth sphere to rise up against them. Most villains stop when they're stupid enough to CreateYourOwnHero, but the Titans go one further and Create Their Own LaResistance.
158* GildedCage: It's revealed that Amuro and a number of the surviving ''White Base'' crew are kept under watch by the Federation authorities. That they're given rather comfortable lifestyles doesn't really distract from the overbearing dread.
159* GoldColoredSuperiority: Char Aznable of Gundam fame changes his usual color from red in the original ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' to gold here [[spoiler:where he fights for the AEUG, piloting the Hyaku-Shiki under the alias of Quattro Bajeena]]. The idea being that the Gold paintjob as actually an anti-beam coating. He goes back to using red for Char's Counterattack though. Even more iconic about this change is that Char caused [[CharClone an entire trope]] in part about his normal color scheme.
160* GoodWeaponEvilWeapon: Zigzagged as this applies to the users too. In the original ''Mobile Suit Gundam'', mono-eye units like the Zaku are associated with Zeon while Gundam-types or units with a visor are usually associated with the Earth Federation which the heroes were associated with. In ''Zeta'', former protagonist Amuro is using the monoeyed Dijeh while former Zeon ace and rival of Amuro, Char/Quattro uses the Gundam-like Hyaku Shiki.
161* GrandTheftPrototype: The AEUG stealing three Gundam Mk. II early on is the first example of this trope in the series. Notably, their original plan was to take just one, and Kamille's use of this trope allows them to nab all three.
162* GratuitousEnglish:
163** In the opening: "I wanna have a pure time, everyone's a noble mind!"
164** "Captain Quattro, he is a [[CharClone CHAR]]!" eventually became a victim of MemeticMutation.
165** "Believing a sign of Zeta/Beyond the hard times from now"
166** Also, sing along: "''Oh, I can't help believe in you...''"
167*** Of course the way it's actually sung sounds more like "I can't help ''believing'' you", which is ''very'' fitting for a series where many characters repeatedly let each other down.
168* GreenAesop: Played with. For a straight example, it's mentioned that any more nuclear detonations on the Earth's surface could cause irreparable damage to the Earth's ecosystem. [[note]]Keep in mind there were two [[ColonyDrop Colony Drops]] over the previous eight years in the UC timeline.[[/note]] Other than that, whenever a character is promoting an environmentalist agenda, it's a rhetorical position that's tied in with Zeon Deikun's spacenoid ideology (which holds that humanity should leave the Earth for the space colonies, evolve into Newtypes, and bring an end to warfare), rather than an end in itself.
169* GutPunch: Twice over.
170** Both of Kamille's parents dying so early on in this series lets the viewer know that this series is going to much darker and much less forgiving than the last series was.
171** Starting with [[spoiler:Katz dying]], the final episodes of the series get progressively more bleak as more and more of the named cast get killed off and PlotArmor isn't shed so much as blown up along with the characters.
172* HappyEndingOverride: The original series ended with an armistice signed between the Earth Federation and the Republic of Zeon, and Amuro happily floating towards his adoptive family. Come ''Zeta'', and the Earth Federation is at war again in a MeleeATrois, and Amuro is under house arrest and cut off from most of his friends.
173* HardTruthAesop:
174** Staying on the sidelines and remaining safe in a conflict is ideal, but you have to be willing to fight--even when and especially because it's difficult--because the world is full of people that will torment others who can't fight for themselves and they won't stop unless they're forced to.
175** When you look up to or idealize someone or something, sometimes they're not nearly as amazing or flawless in reality as they were in your head. You have to be able to acknowledge and reconcile these differences.
176* HateSink: Whereas the Titan leaders Jamitov and [[DarkMessiah Scirocco]] have some leeway to be viewed as {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s, and Haman UsedToBeASweetKid, these four subordinates are far more detestable:
177** [[GeneralRipper Bask Om]], the second-in-command of [[StateSec the Titans]], is introduced beating war-hero Bright Noa for opposing a dangerous order. Favoring brutality in his army, Bask takes Kamille Bidan's mother as a hostage to retrieve the Gundam MK-II before lying to his soldier to get him to shoot at her capsule, killing her in front of her son. Using the Titans to commit multiple atrocities against them, the Titans use nerve gas against whole space colonies--killing all of their inhabitants--and experiment on teenagers to create Cyber Newtypes, unstable soldiers in semi-perpetual agony. Murderous, hateful and violent, Bask's brutality makes him stand out as the worst of the leadership of the Titans, leading to their being outlawed and eventual downfall. Notably, even ''the other Titans'' hate this guy -- including fellow Hate Sink Yazan!
178** Jamican Danigan, while not as powerful as Bask above and not as flamboyant as Yazan below, still stands as one of the most reprehensible characters in the cast and is a fine example of the Titans at their most banally evil. A SmugSnake supporter of Bask who thinks he's much more clever than he is, Jamaican advances his boss's "KickTheDog at every opportunity ForTheEvulz" plans, earning the enmity of fellow Titans Jerid, Scirocco, and Yazan in the process. Those latter two come back to bite him, as Scirocco schemes with Yazan to have Jamaican offed by UnfriendlyFire.
179** [[PsychoForHire Yazan Gable]] is a sadistic warmonger who joined the Titans to be able to kill people legally. Uncaring about the rules of war, he participates in an attempted ColonyDrop on a populated city and later arranges the death of an officer trying to prevent unnecessary bloodshed. Joining Scirocco purely [[OnlyInItForTheMoney for the promise of cash]], Yazan [[HeroKiller kills many heroes]] from the Anti Earth Union Group--whom he considers "full of women and children"--and even kills one of his own allies while showing no concern at the deaths of his most friendly subordinates. Defeated by Kamille, Yazan survives the battle and [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ several days later]], he persuades a group of poor teenagers to infiltrate the ''Argama'' to steal the Zeta Gundam, taking the opportunity to kill another AEUG soldier before failing. Pathetically trying several attempts to steal the Zeta Gundam, Yazan joins Neo Zeon's soldiers, betraying the very purpose of the Titans. A beast in the skin of a man, Yazan earns the hatred of both Kamille and Judau.
180** Kamille's father [[AbusiveParents Franklin Bidan]] is a negligent and abusive workaholic who cheats on his wife. Taken as a hostage by the Titans and saved by the AEUG, Franklin [[UngratefulBastard betrays them]] and tries to escape back to the Titans even after they killed his own wife, wanting to continue his work creating Mobile Suits and being willing to shoot at his own son. [[ItsAllAboutMe A man without concern for anything or anyone but his work]], his only passion in life, Franklin is the main reason behind Kamille's notorious anger issues.
181* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: Not so much Newtype powers as a whole, but it's Kamille's ability to truly connect with others--a facet of Newtype abilities that is deemed insignificant and discarded by the Titans in their creation of Cyber-Newtypes as well as seen as a weakness by Char and Amuro and even a source of pain for Kamille himself--is what ultimately allows him to [[spoiler:defeat Scirocco and end the Titans conflict]] even though his opponent is an even more powerful Newtype, has more experience, and has a technologically superior mobile suit.
182* HeWhoFightsMonsters: The Titans were formed to prevent Zeon from reemerging, but they turn to be just as great a threat to the Earth sphere and even go so far as to [[spoiler:ally with the Axis Zeon against the AEUG.]]
183* HistoryRepeats:
184** The story begins with Char and his men infiltrating a Side 7 colony which is housing a new Gundam. A local teenage boy becomes involved in the mess. Very familiar. But instead of fighting back the invaders, our new protagonist helps them steal the Gundam and joins their cause.
185** [[spoiler:An ace pilot falls in love with an enemy soldier. During a fight between the aforementioned pilot and his greatest rival, the woman sacrifices herself to save the man she loves]]. Char and Amuro quote this trope directly shortly afterward.
186* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The bulk of [[spoiler:the Titan fleet]] is destroyed by [[spoiler:a captured Titan WaveMotionGun]].
187* HotBlooded: To a degree, Katz. Kamille starts off like this, but simmers down over the course of the series at least partly due to Katz.
188-->'''Kamille''': "Kamille's a man's name, ''and I'm a man!''"
189* HowWeGotHere: Downplayed. In ''A New Translation'' Kamille is introduced being interrogated by the MP he will later try to bully with the Mk. II unit that he hijacks. The reason for Kamille's incarceration is left unknown until Jerid has a flashback showing how Kamille punched him in retaliation for a perceived insult and was subsequently arrested.
190* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Bask tells Reccoa at one point that the Titans want a peaceful Earth Sphere, and their extreme methods are a result of impatience. However any possibility of a spark of goodness is extinguished when [[spoiler: he laughs maniacally after firing the Gryps Laser for the first time, killing an entire colony worth of civilians.]]
191* IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten: [[spoiler: Bask assigns Reccoa to "prove her allegiance" to the Titans by leading a gas attack on a colony. She obeys.]]
192* ImprovisedScattershot: Kamille invents the "Beam Confuse" maneuver as a defense against fast but lightly-armored missiles and {{Attack Drone}}s - he first throws a spinning beam saber then shoots at it with his beam rifle, causing the shot to be deflected and spray outwards.
193* IncestSubtext: On the one hand, Rosammy thinks she's Kamille's little sister, and thinks Fa [[ShipperOnDeck is his ideal girlfriend]]. On the other hand, while the way she clings to him would be normal for little kids to do, the way she clings to him at their current ages isn't unlike someone being ''very'' flirty, and Fa [[ClingyJealousGirl doesn't like it one bit]]. This is all justified by Rosammy [[CuteAndPsycho not being right in the head]].
194* IntellectuallySupportedTyranny: Seems to be Scirocco's endgame, if his MotiveRant in the final episode is anything to go by.
195* InterserviceRivalry:
196** The regular Earth Federation Forces and the Titans have no love lost between each other.
197** The AEUG and Karaba are, in and of themselves, a faction within the Earth Federation.
198* IResembleThatRemark: In the first episode, Kamille tells a Titans officer that he doesn't like being bullied by thugs. The Titans' response is to beat him up some more.
199* ISurrenderSuckers: Karaba pulls this when the Titans take Amuro, Mirai and Mirai's kids hostage; they surrender to distract the Titans while Kamille deploys in the Gundam to free the hostages.
200* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Kamille is an ''insane'' MoodSwinger, but he does genuinely care for others and tries to do what he can for them. Possibly Jerid Messa as well; see AntiVillain, above. Perhaps what best exemplifies the difference between the AEUG and the Titans is whether they're characterized by this or just plain {{Jerkass}} with some exceptions.
201* KarmicDeath: If you saw Anime/MobileSuitGundam0083StardustMemory before this one, [[spoiler:Jamitov and Bask are both killed by people they tried to manipulate, which can be seen as overdue payback for their manipulations during the Delaz Fleet incident. Scirocco was also killed by Kamille when he used the latent powers of various women, including his subordinates, for a final attack with the Zeta.]]
202* KickTheDog: When Jaburo is evacuated, only Jerid and a few others know that the reason is because a nuclear device is about to detonate underneath. Jerid takes the opportunity to attack his comrades just so he can board the escape plane.
203* KingIncognito: Downplayed. But it's revealed that Emma actually met Amuro a few years earlier while on a road trip on Earth. At the time, she mistook him for a rich kid with a troubled past instead of the famed war hero who piloted the original Gundam, but only realized in hindsight who he was upon talking with Kamille.
204* KlingonPromotion: Scirocco [[spoiler: becomes leader of the Titans after killing of Jamitov and arranging Bask's death.]]
205* LadyOfWar: Haman, Emma.
206* LaResistance: The AEUG.
207* LastVillainStand: Episodes 46-50 can be seen as one for Scirocco and the Titans as a whole, as the AEUG, the EF, and Axis all try to find a way to co-opt or destroy what remains of the once mighty elite military force.
208* LatexSpaceSuit: As with the last series, all of the pilot suits. Averted with the much bulkier space suits that all non-piloting crew wear during battle.
209* LawOfChromaticSuperiority: The AEUG invokes this with the Rick Diases. The Rick Dias's initial paint scheme is black, with Char/Quattro using a red paint scheme as is his custom. The Titans quickly realize that the red Rick Dias is a greater threat than the black ones and start to realize that the Red Comet has returned. The AEUG responds by painting all of their Rick Diases red to intimidate the Titans.
210* LensmanArmsRace: Not only does the series have gradually escalating models of mobile suits with more and more power and capabilities as the AEUG and Titans face off with eachother, but by sheer nature the advancement in weapons tech since the One Year War has resulted in mobility being emphasized over durability since almost everyone either has a beam weapon that can ignore most defenses, or heavy ordinance explosives that can punch holes in even Gundams. It's better to simply ''not get hit'' because of the terrifying destructive potential.
211* LightIsNotGood: Scirocco wears a variant of the standard black Titans uniform - guess what color he picks?
212* LightningBruiser:
213** This is the idea behind the transforming mobile suits that are introduced in this series and used throughout the rest of the Universal Century, as most are equipped with beam weaponry that made the original Gundam a force to be reckoned with, but they have all the speed and maneuverability of core fighters when in mobile armor form.
214** PMX-003 The-O, Scirocco's final mobile suit. It was built to operate in the gravity well of Jupiter, where it would be a StoneWall, but with its fifty thrusters it becomes this in the Earth sphere.
215* LimitedWardrobe: Most characters are only seen with maybe three outfits max due to the [[JustifiedTrope justification]] that they're all usually wearing their military uniforms and seldom have enough time off to justify wearing casual clothing.
216* LoveHurts: Reccoa with Char, though the latter isn't as reciprocal, Katz and Sarah, and Kamille and either Fa or Four.
217* LuckyCharmsTitle: Uppercase zeta (as in the Greek letter, and is the basis for the letter Z) can be written as just "Z." The official logo of the series thus stylistically renders the title as "Mobile Suit Z Gundam," with "Zeta" fully spelled out, but minimized and placed over the Z.
218* MachiavelliWasWrong: Bask's logic for the more extreme atrocities he orders (which would result in the death of entire colonies) is that if they violate the laws of war and human decency just this one time, everyone will be too afraid of the Titans to resist them anymore, and the war will finally end. The possibility that even attempting such actions will just anger people into more determined resistance doesn't occur to him.
219* MadonnaWhoreComplex: Played with. The series makes it clear that it is Sarah's and [[spoiler:Reccoa's]] wanting romantic attention from Scirocco that makes them willing to carry out war crimes, and Emma, being a foil to the latter, makes it a point that personal feelings and romantic attachments have no place on the battlefield or a soldier's heart. At the same time, Sarah's romantic sentiment towards Katz keeps her from completely throwing away her conscience, and for Four, her love towards Kamille is what redeems her.
220* MauveShirt:
221** The AEUG's Rick Dias is basically the designated suit for these. One of the ''Argama'''s Dias pilots, the unfortunately-named Lieutenant Botty, even manages to survive the show in one piece.
222** Zeta also produced a couple of mauve shirts for this section of the Universal Century with the crew of the ''Argama''. Torres, Saegusa, Astonage, Keithron, Anna Hanna, Dr. Hasan and others become recurring characters throughout this series, ZZ, Char's Counterattack, and Unicorn.
223* MeaningfulName:
224** Psyco Gundam & Psyco Gundam Mk. II, piloted by Four & Rosamia, respectively. Technically, "psyco" is short for '''psy'''chic '''co'''mmunicator and refers to the machines' OS, but [[AxCrazy of course brings to mind the more immediate connotation...]]
225** Also Four herself, considering FourIsDeath.
226** Paptimus Scirocco's first name is a corruption of the Latin word for a baptism, while his last name references the powerful Mediterranean wind.
227** All of Scirocco's Mobile Suits have these: the first, the Messala, is a reference to a Roman charioteer, while the other three are all named in reference to deities.
228** Zigzagged with the Methuss. Most people think it's a reference to Methuselah because it kind of looks like a bent old man, but it's actually supposed to be "me-tasu", Japanese for "many-eyed". The five-eyed mobile suit design that eventually became Yazan Gable's Hambrabi was originally meant to be a support mech for the Zeta Gundam piloted by Fa, using its supernumerary eyes to act as an artillery spotter for it's [[WaveMotionGun Hyper Mega Launcher]]. Tomino (or possibly somebody else on the creative team) decided it was too sinister-looking for one of the most unambiguously good characters in the series to pilot and handed it over to a gleeful Yazan "I'm gonna violate you" Gable instead, sticking the poor girl with the diminutive yellow rustbucket we all know and love, but for some reason they kept the name.
229*** The Hambrabi itself, meanwhile, is named for Hammurabi, the ancient Mesopotamian king best known for developing the first codified laws in recorded history. Combined with its blue coloration, multiple cameras and the distressingly phallic design of some of its weapons, it stands as a living embodiment of the oppressive police state the Titans hoped to create.
230* MechaMooks: The Titans have an extraordinary array of suits, but the humble RMS-106 Hizack is the most common and iconic. Being based on Anime/MobileSuitGundam's legendary Zaku II helps, too.
231* MeleeATrois: Titans vs. AEUG vs. Axis Zeon. This situation was so memorable that homages to this set up appear numerous times in the franchise as a whole.
232* MidSeasonUpgrade: This is the first ever animated Gundam series where the protagonist switches from one Gundam to another, superior one mid-season. Kamille first piloted the Gundam Mk-II and then later on, the Zeta Gundam.
233* MildlyMilitary:
234** A dark variation. The Titans, being a StateSec organization, have no respect for any military protocol that isn't their own; Bright is beaten half to death for trying to bring them into line.
235** The AEUG meanwhile are a more benign example. It's also justified as a way to maintain order given how it's comprised of various groups in addition to disgruntled Federation personnel.
236* AMillionIsAStatistic: Bask attempts several different attacks on cities and colonies in his bid to establish the Titans' power and threaten the opposition with varying degrees of success, which includes a colony drop on a moon city, two different gas attacks in colonies, and the use of the Gryps 2 colony laser, and endangers at least hundreds of thousands to potentially millions of lives.
237* MindRape: [[spoiler: Scirocco hits Kamille with one of these as he dies. It works in the series, not the movies.]]
238** Also implied to be a part of the training for the Cyber Newtypes. Considering what happened to Four and Rosamia, it's ''very'' likely.
239* MoreHeroThanThou: In the final episode, both Kamille and Quattro are adamant about being the one to hold off Scirocco and Haman while they and Fa make their escape from [[spoiler:the Gryps 2 colony laser]]. Kamille makes the argument that someone likes Quattro is necessary to lead and eventually save the world, while Quattro insists that Kamille escape because he thinks it's ultimately the newer generation that will build the new era.
240* MoreThanMindControl: Scirocco's modus operandi seems to be this. In addition to his immense reserves of personal charisma he can use his Newtype abilities to influence the emotions of others, as seen with Sarah and [[spoiler:Reccoa]] in episode 28.
241* MythologyGag: When Quattro's personal red Rick Dias is destroyed, he uses the Gundam Mk. II until he gets the Hyaku-Shiki, which is a nod to how Char ends up allying with ''White Base'' in the [[Literature/MobileSuitGundam Mobile Suit Gundam novels]] and gets his own personal Gundam to pilot after beginning any continuity on the mission to investigate or destroy it.
242* NervesOfSteel: Only two pilots in ''Zeta'' have nerves of steel sufficient to pilot their MS without wearing Normal Suits: Scirocco and Haman. Everyone else, Kamille, Quattro, even ''Yazan'', all wear Normal Suits unfailingly. This seems to be a quirk of advanced Newtypes, as Quess Paraya of ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack Char's Counterattack]]'' and Iron Mask of ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamF91 Gundam F91]]'' would follow in their footsteps.
243* NoAccountingForTaste: Played with. Amuro's relationship with ClingyJealousGirl Beltorchika baffles both Char and Kamille. Amuro knows how Beltorchika comes across to others, but still allows her to get away with her behavior both because she genuinely believes in the AEUG's cause and because she helps motivate him to fight again, something he struggles with for several episodes. This trope is even downplayed to the point of subversion when her clinginess [[CharacterDevelopment is toned down]] and briefly reappears as an IntrepidReporter in episode 37, [[spoiler:recording a brutal Titans skirmish, which lets Char show the world how horrible they are]].
244* NonIndicativeName: Despite being called the Anti-Earth Union Group, the AEUG is in fact a faction within the Earth Federation.
245* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Yazan's Crew. After the general incompetence of Jerid and Adol's doomed attempt, it comes as quite a shock how brutally efficient Yazan, Dunkel and Ramsus are.
246* NotSoDifferentRemark: A point of criticism that Scirocco brings up is that Jamitov's ambitions seem to involve the abandonment of Earth and moving everyone to space a goal that's similar to the AEUG. Scirocco himself has a similar goal and argues the difference between himself, Jamitov, and the AEUG is who gets to be in charge when everyone moves to space.
247* NotTooDeadToSaveTheDay: [[spoiler: In the final battle between Kamille and Scirocco, the spirits of the dead Newtypes join forces with Kamille. Sarah, however, still stands for Scirocco, but is taken aside by Katz.]]
248* NotWithTheSafetyOnYouWont: Amuro gives Katz the very same gun he shot at Char to force Quattro and the Hyaku-Shiki onto the vessel bound for space. Katz even mentions that he's a bigger danger with a live gun since he's never handled one before. Quattro just waits until they're on board to casually mention how far off he was.
249* OneDegreeOfSeparation: A conversation between Kamille and Quattro early on exposits that Amuro's location has understandably been kept secret by Federation officials since the end of the One Year War. Emma ends up revealing later that before graduating from the academy, she happened to meet Amuro by chance, but didn't realize who he was at the time.
250* OnTheNextEpisodeOfCatchphrase: "You will see the tears of time."
251* OpportunisticBastard: Something of a recurring characteristic amongst most Titans. Jerid is less concerned about quelling dissent in the colonies than he is about climbing the ranks, Yazan great pride and excitement in getting to shoot down as many enemy pilots as he can, Sarah and [[spoiler:Reccoa]] are primarily motivated by gaining Scirocco's attention, Four doesn't hesitate in bombing a city full of innocent civilians if it means she might get her memories back, and [[spoiler:Scirocco guns Jamitov down when he gets a chance since it would mean the former gets to lead the Titans in his place]]. Contrasting, the lofty goals and ideals of Zeon, the majority of the Titans are highlighted by their relatively banal cruelty that's overlooked by the Federation because it's in the pursuit of a justified goal on paper.
252* OvershadowedByAwesome: Kamille is ''such'' a good pilot that he makes everyone else in the AEUG look like {{Red Shirt}}s, even if Apolly, Emma, and Reccoa are all good pilots taken on their own merits and Quattro is only hampered by his [[RedemptionDemotion being saddled with a sub-par mobile suit]]. And on the Titans' side, Jerid looks like nothing but a joke for losing over and over again, but as his rare performances when ''not'' going up against Kamille (he almost sinks the Gwadan in an UnstoppableRage during one mission and even Haman is intimidated by his pressure), he's not so much a bad pilot as cursed to go up against one of the best of them in the entire Universal Century history.
253* ParentalAbandonment: Kamille is one ''really'' tragic version of this. Fa was also forcibly separated from her parents because of the Titans, with the heavy implication they were KilledOffscreen when they are never seen again.
254* PaperThinDisguise: Char. Has a lampshade hung on it when Haman outs Char in front of the rest of the AEUG. While all the other present AEUG members seem shocked by the revelation, Kamille's reaction is basically just to say "Yeah yeah, real big surprise there." Probably because he saw Hayato confronting Char with the infamous letter.
255** One should keep in mind though, that the disguise is only paper thin to the viewer... the AEUG is genuinely surprised, since Char normally wore a mask during most of the One Year War, so there are only a handful of people who know him by looks.
256*** Given Char's penchant for Red (Quattro always wears red and initially pilots a red mobile suit) and his piloting ability, it probably still counts as a paper-thin disguise. The first hint of his real identity is that ''everyone'' who fought in the previous war who sees him fly is reminded of the Red Comet.
257* PietaPlagiarism: When [[spoiler:Four]] and [[spoiler:Emma]] die, Kamille holds their bodies this way.
258* ThePlan: Scirocco pulls these off with frightening ease. Jamaican... not so much.
259* PlayingBothSides: [[spoiler: Axis is allied with both the AEUG and the Titans at the same time, and they end up on top after both sides are exhausted.]]
260* PoweredByAForsakenChild: Both Psyco Gundams are not so much vehicles as they are drone weapons that have Artificial Newtypes wired into them in order to take advantage of their PsychicPowers.
261%%* Power Trio: A lot of them:
262%%** Kamille, Amuro, and Char
263%%** Kamille, Katz, and Fa.
264%%** Quattro, Apolly, and Roberto.
265%%** Scirocco, Sarah, and [[spoiler: Reccoa]].
266%%** Yazan, Dunkel, and Ramsus.
267%% Power Trio is being dewicked, if you're expanding examples please place them under the list of Sub-tropes.
268* PrettyLittleHeadshots: In ''A New Translation'' [[spoiler:Four]] is fatally shot in the head at point blank range. The entrance wound is small and the slightly larger exit wound is very clean.
269* PsychicPowers: Newtypes have these, though most of them are [[HowDoIShotWeb not very in control of their abilities]]. Haman and Scirocco represent two of the only Newtypes who ''are'' fully in control of their gifts, and their appearances show the {{Muggles}} of the UC world why they should BewareTheSuperman.
270* PuttingOnTheReich: Axis, having been formed from what remained of Zeon after the last series, naturally falls under this trope.
271* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: The standard Titans uniform is black with red accents. Of note is that Scirocco is introduced wearing this uniform, and later goes on to subvert this by dressing [[LightIsNotGood mainly in white]] when he appears in the second half of the series.
272* RedShirt: The AEUG's Nemos serve this purpose admirably.
273* RenegadeSplinterFaction: The Titans to the Earth Federation. [[spoiler: Once they were exposed by the AEUG, the group goes full renegade.]]
274* ReReleaseSoundtrack: ''Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam'' lost its theme songs for its US release, replacing them with standard [=BGMs=] played over the same opening animation. This is because Neil Sedaka composed the songs, and thus his family has been holding out on the rights; this is the same reason ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' hasn't used either of the openings as ''Zeta''[='s=] battle theme in years.
275* {{Retcon}}: The third CompilationMovie gives us a BittersweetEnding instead of the original DownerEnding: [[spoiler: Kamille survives the duel with Scirocco more or less unscatched and is reunited with Fa and the rest of the ''Argama'' crew. Also, additional footage includes the reactions of characters like Amuro, Beltochika, Fraw, Retsu, Kikka, Mirai, Sayla and Kai.]] Despite some fans' insistence, WordOfGod is that this does '''not''' retcon ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ Gundam ZZ]] out of existence.
276** There's an even earlier example of this: originally, all the fancy stuff the Zeta did (like the [[{{BFS}} mile-long beam saber]]) was just Kamille's raw Newtype power. Later on it was retconned that the Zeta has a device called the biosensor that amplifies Newtype powers and causes incredible phenomenae, such as freezing Scirocco's Mobile Suit and making it so that the Zeta Gundam can ram into it without being crushed by the impact. Scirocco's The-O was also retroactively given a biosensor, for all the good it does him.
277** Several mobile suits gained ancestors from later animated productions. For example, the AEUG's Nemo was made into a descendant of the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam0080WarInThePocket GM Sniper II]], while the Rick Dias incorporates elements of the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam0083StardustMemory Gundam GP02 "Physalis"]].
278** The ''New Translation'' movies in general also retconned some of the more infamous scenes out (like the absurd number of "people punching/slapping each other" scenes), possibly reflecting Tomino's more upbeat tone since ''Anime/TurnAGundam.''
279* TheRevolutionWillNotBeVilified: The AEUG.
280* RuleOfSymbolism: Downplayed, but the fact that a significant majority of the mobile suits and mobile armors used by the Titans, nominally a Federation force, have integrated Zeonic aesthetics (most notably the debuting RMS-106 Hizack) is also a short-hand to the growing moral and institutional corruption/oppression inside the Federation. Of note is that there are suits that belong to unambiguously heroic characters that also have the distinct Zeonic mono-eye, such as the Rick Dias, the Dijeh, and the Methuss.
281* SealedOrders: When the Titans negotiate with the Argama's crew over returning the [[GrandTheftPrototype stolen]] Gundam Mk [=IIs=], the message Emma delivers is sealed until delivery. The same for Jerrid's order to shoot the object being sent to the Argama if they fight back. Bask did this to conceal from his own troops [[HostageSituation that he was holding Kamille's parents hostage]], so Jerrid wouldn't hesitate to kill Kamille's captive mother (as he assume it was a bomb he was meant to detonate).
282* SelfMadeOrphan: Subverted: [[spoiler: Kamille hesitates when his father Franklin tries to kill him in battle, so someone else had to do it; it's implied to be Quattro in the original, and the Titans in the movie remake.]]
283* SequelHook: [[spoiler:Anything to do with Haman and Axis/Neo-Zeon, who are the main antagonists in ''ZZ''. Even the ''New Translation'' version of events have Haman's forces pulling back from the Earth Sphere along with some AEUG and Titan sympathizers.]]
284* SmartPeopleBuildRobots: Both TheHero and the BigBad of this series build their own Mobile Suits.
285* SmugSnake: Jamaican Danigan, from the Titans, and Ben Wooder.
286* TheSocialExpert: Scirocco's skills in this field border on the legendary, to the point that even some 30-odd years later ''Gundam'' has yet to produce an antagonist as socially manipulative. He comes into the Titans as a complete outsider, and usurps the chain of command so effectively that by the end of the series he is their undisputed leader (though he does rely on a KlingonPromotion towards the end to give him that final push).
287* SoLastSeason: Mobile Suit production moves quite quickly in the series and models are often left in the dust. The GM, while a fairly disposable suit, was one of the key weapons in the Federation arsenal that ultimately won the war against Zeon. In this series, the GM II (which was made to outperform the GM in every way) is hopelessly outdated in the face of all of the new and better Mobile Suit technology. The Titans largely rely on the Hi-Zacks or any other late developed suit and even the AEUG tends to field Nemos, which are upgraded and heavily modified versions of the GM, instead.
288* SpellMyNameWithAnS: One of the worst offenders in anime history - pick any character on the cast, and you're guaranteed to find at least three different variations on his or her name. Special mention goes to Quattro Bajeena, whose last name has been romanized in a very... ''interesting'' way on occasion.
289* SpellMyNameWithAThe: Scirocco's personal ride, the PMX-003 The-O. Yes, those two 'the's were intentional.
290* StateSec: The Titans started out as this.
291* StayInTheKitchen: Yazan Gable is a mean-spirited example, given his ''very'' sexist treatment of women. Kamille is a much milder example, though that's mainly due to him wanting to keep his female comrades out of harm's way after seeing his blameless mother killed in the very beginning of the series.
292* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
293** Throughout the series the Titans and AEUG repeatedly clash, but due to constant damages and limited ammunition on the field they often fall back so they don't lose all their forces in one fell swoop. While this keeps several protagonists and villains alive a lot longer than one would expect, [[spoiler:both sides being forced to fight to the death once and for all in the finale results in [[EverybodyDiesEnding most of the cast dying]] because they can't afford to retreat.]]
294** The Titans are supposedly all-powerful among the Earth Federation forces, and big enough to proclaim they "rule" Earth with no one being able to disobey their orders. They're also reviled enough for their atrocities that multiple LaResistance forces have cropped up in their own supposed backyard, are similarly inefficient to the original Zeon due to the behind-the-scenes grabs for power among the commanding officers, and eventually [[spoiler:lose all of their power when recordings of their atrocities and gratuitous collateral damage destroy what public perception they have left and force the Federation to disband them to avoid association with what's effectively become a failure of a StateSec.]]
295* TakingTheBullet: Happens quite a lot.
296** [[spoiler:Mouar for Jerid]]
297** [[spoiler:Four for Kamille.]]
298** [[spoiler:Sarah for Scirocco.]]
299** [[spoiler:Apolly for a RedShirt in the series, and for Fa in the third CompilationMovie]].
300* TakingYouWithMe:
301** Kamille evokes this trope when Sarah tries to make a getaway after failing to disarm the bombs on a moon city. He angrily shouts this trope word for word as he punches her in the stomach to knock her out, but ends up bringing her back to the ''Argama'' before they take off safely, presumably to get Sarah to understand the severity of her actions without letting her have a KarmaHoudini.
302** In the finale, Kamille fully intends to go down holding off both Scirocco and Haman in the Gryps colony laser when it fires, banking on all three of them getting killed. Upon fighting with Scirocco, Kamille makes this even clearer:
303-->'''Kamille''': "Even if I must sacrifice my life, my body for it... I'll never forgive him!!"
304** Also attempted in the finale when [[spoiler:Char triggers an explosion that engulfs both the Qubeley and Hyaku-Shiki, but it fails and both survive]].
305* TeacherStudentRomance: Jerid crushes on Lila, who's teaching him a few things about piloting. Lila is okay with the idea and uses it as a carrot to help turn him into a real soldier. [[spoiler: She dies before this goes anywhere.]]
306* TerribleTrio: Yazan's crew are a particularly competent and scary example.
307* TeamMom: Emma Sheen and Reccoa Londe. Fa is also a bit of this towards the BrattyHalfPint orphans, though she only takes up the TeamMom mantle full-time in ZZ.
308* TeenGenius: Kamille was famous for winning several suit design contests before going to the AEUG, and in fact he actually ''designed'' the Zeta Gundam. Sarah also counts for being a teenaged soldier in the Titans' ranks that can manage to keep up with Kamille in a mobile suit, when Emma and Jerid are in their early twenties but also are straight out of the academy in the beginning of the series.
309* TheEnemyWeaponsAreBetter: Played with. Like the Zeon before them, the Mobile Suits of the Titans are bigger, flashier, more colorful and most often just ''[[EvilIsCool cooler]]'' than the relatively bland and boring Mobile Suits the AEUG brings to the field. However, all of that doesn't make them ''better'', and more often than not those cool Titans weapons also have a serious flaw or weakness for the heroes to exploit, like the Gaplant's blind spot or the Byarlant's serious deficiency of weaponry.
310* ThemeNaming: Scirocco likes naming his custom mobile suits after deities. Pallas Athena is named for the Greek war goddess, Bolinoak Samaan is named for a Mesopotamian god, and The-O is a play on Theo, a name derived from the Greek word for 'God'.
311* ThisIsGonnaSuck: When the Hyaku Shiki takes a shot for Kamille and are forced into an uncontrolled re-entry, Quattro comments, "I don't think this is gonna end well."
312* TimeBomb: Several of these appear during the story to endanger our heroes. [[spoiler: In all cases, they are unable to disarm them, and only survive by fleeing before they explode.]]
313* TookALevelInBadAss: Let's see, Jerid did eventually [[spoiler: come to even footing with Kamille in some parts of the show and eventually became a personal bodyguard to Jamitov.]] While Kai was no slouch in the One Year War, Kai took another one offscreen, cemented with a visual CallBack to Mobile Suit Gundam wherein he twirls his gun when first seen in Jaburo without it breaking apart like in the last series. Hayato got a level too, he pretty much become a cool and confident TeamDad for Karaba on Earth. Amuro himself has taken a few notches despite being under house arrest and not having set foot in a mobile suit for several years.
314* TransformingMecha: The Zeta Gundam and the greater majority of Mobile Suits; in fact, Zeta still holds the record of having the largest percentage of transforming robots in the entire saga.
315** Scirocco's Messala is in fact the first transformable mobile suit ever seen in a Gundam series.
316* TruceZone: Not respected. The Titans don't mind starting fights in neutral colonies, or even intentionally attacking them.
317* {{Tsundere}}: Both Fa and Four are Type B, aka Type Dere. Fa is mostly cute and gentle, unless around Kamille, though she gets better about this as the series goes on. Four genuinely enjoys Kamille's company, but when the idea of getting her memories back is dangled over her head, she's quick to turn against Kamille.
318* {{Tykebomb}}: Four and to a greater extent, Rosamia.
319* UnusualEuphemism: From the Zeta-to-English dictionary:
320** Correct (verb): To beat the crap out of a subordinate for reasons ranging from gross incompetence to tardiness.
321** Recreation (noun): Having a screaming row with your {{tsundere}} girlfriend for the third time that morning.
322* VanillaUnit:
323** The [=GM II=], successor to the original [=GM=], is a completely bog-standard, unremarkable Mobile Suit. It's also effectively the same as the original, with only slight improvements like improved thrusters and reactors. It's quickly phased out as the series progresses due to its lack of special features making it easily out-paced by the various newer machines, but due to sheer numbers it still appears all the way up to the finale.
324** The Nemo is AEUG's trademark Mobile Suit, introduced to replace the [=GM IIs=] they'd been utilising. Like the [=GM II=], there's nothing particularly remarkable about the Nemo save that they're significantly more powerful than the [=GM IIs=] they were replacing but still simple enough that pilots trained on the [=GM II=] could easily transition to them.
325** In-universe, this is what causes the Barzam to be rejected by the Titans. On paper, it's quite powerful for a mass-production suit. However, by the point of the series where it was being considered for mass-production (in order to replace their current mainstays the Hi-Zacks and [=GM=] Quels), it was considered ''too'' vanilla and rejected. Among other problems were the fact the Barzam could only be equipped with weapons specifically designed for it, but that also meant that specialised factories and facilities would be needed to build and maintain them.
326** An in-universe complaint about the Gundam [=Mk II=] is that it's a completely vanilla version of the original Gundam. Where the original Gundam was a quantum leap in terms of Mobile Suit design, the [=Mk II=] had nothing special about it. In fact, AEUG had to develop the G-Defensor support mech to [[CombiningMecha combine with it to form the Super Gundam]], just to give it a chance of keeping up with the Titans' increasingly powerful SuperPrototype machines.
327
328* VasquezAlwaysDies: Ultimately averted. This series has a wide variety of female characters of varying levels of femininity, and out of the main and supporting cast, [[spoiler:only [[LadyOfWar Haman]] and [[DoggedNiceGirl Fa]] make it out alive by the end. Emma and Reccoa are tougher compared to Four, Rosamia, and Sarah, but all of them die]].
329* VerticalMechaFins: the Rick Dias, Hyaku Shiki, and several other mobile suits sport large back-mounted fins. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] as ''Wing Binders'', extra limbs to aid in AMBAC.
330* VillainWithGoodPublicity: The Titans gained power and prominence by riding on anti-Zeon sentiment and presenting themselves as the saviors of humanity. By the start of the series however the peoples' goodwill is waning. The space colonists view the Titans as thugs and fascists, and the AEUG and Karaba are at least partly formed from former Federation officers sick of them. Gradually the people of Earth lose faith in them as well and the series ends with the Titans lose all Earthside support, forcing them to propose an alliance with Axis ([[{{Irony}} the exact sort of faction they were created to destroy]]).
331* WarComesHome: The Federation fully turns on the [[EliteArmy Titans]] when the latter launch a full-scale assault on Dakar, the Federation capital, while the Federation assembly is meeting. Their objective was to silence Quattro Bagina, the leader of the AEUG, who was addressing the assembly in order to publicly denounce the Titans and their heavy-handed tactics. Crucially, the stark contrast between members of the AEUG-aligned Karaba non-violently taking control of the Parliament building versus the Titans (the Federation's supposed defenders) blatantly attacking in an attempt to LeaveNoWitnesses causes the assemblymen to loudly denounce them while several Federal forces units actively join AEUG in the defense. Worse still, the attack is broadcast live throughout Earth sphere, resulting in support for the Titans almost completely evaporating nearly overnight.
332* WeAreStrugglingTogether: As Quattro puts it, "there are a ''lot'' of people who wanna be in charge" of the AEUG.
333* WeakButSkilled: Most of the ''Argama'' crew, and the AEUG in general, didn't really have too many ace pilots. Most of the pilots were at best, average. Yet, Fa held her own in the Methuss, Roberto actually had some really great kills early on, and Apolly managed to save the day a few times, most notably [[spoiler: sacrificing himself for Fa]] and bringing the Zeta Gundam to Kamille.
334* WhamEpisode: Literally happens [[spoiler: when Katz slams into a piece of space debris and dies. This begins the mass culling of the cast in the ending of the series.]]
335* WhatMeasureIsAMook:
336** Yazan's wingmen, Dunkel and Ramsus. Despite being little more than ThoseTwoGuys, and their boss being a sadistic SociopathicSoldier, Yazan surprisingly loses his shit when they are killed.
337** Kamille admits to having an aversion to killing pilots and the times he goes for headshot could be considered him trying to take down the mech without killing the person inside. It's especially clear during the attack on Jaburo where he looks distressed when a disabled GM's cockpit bursts into flame and relieved when a Federation Pilot escapes a Gouf that he had just shot down.
338-->'''Kamille''': "These days I spend a lot of time thinking about the pilots who died at my hands."
339-->'''Emma''': "Do you pray for them?"
340-->'''Kamille''': "Yes, but in my own way."
341-->'''Emma''': "If you're sincere, it'll work one way or another."
342* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Rosamia and her fear of {{Colony Drop}}s. "The sky is falling! [[BigNo NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!]]" It is a known problem in this universe, but the poor girl panics at the slightest provocation.
343* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Again, Four and Rosamia. They're artificial Newtypes, so that's expected in a sense.
344* WorfEffect:
345** The [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam original series]] Gundam model suffers this at the beginning of the story. Several of these suits engage Char's forces, who are piloting standard Rick Dias suits. They are all easily defeated, showcasing how far mobile suit tech has advanced since the One Year War. They are even labeled as antiques by their own pilots.
346** Char, ultimately. Despite being one of the most experienced pilots, he is usually knocked out or suffers damage. Hell, despite being arguably a better pilot than either Haman or Scirocco, he can't score ANY decisive blows on them. It doesn't help that his mobile suit, the Hyaku Shiki, is a failed prototype (Delta Gundam) that, while a high performance unit, is also plagued with frame defects from being an experimental transforming mobile suit. He has more experience than either Haman and Scirocco, but the two of them are both stronger as newtypes, and their respective mobile suits were each superior to Char's Hyaku Shiki. Also, they initially double-teamed him, and by the time Kamille entered the fray Hyaku Shiki was already heavily damaged.
347** Emma is introduced as an elite pilot, but there are many occasions when she's outmatched, such as the first sortie against Scirocco and pretty much every fight she has against Yazan.
348* WorldHalfEmpty: This show was cynical even when compared to the rest of the UC Gundam series. [[CrapsackWorld Considering how UC is most of the time]], that's saying a lot.
349* XtremelyKoolLetterz: The Psyco Gundam's name deliberately spelled without an 'h', as it's a contraction of "'''psy'''chic '''co'''mmunicator".
350* {{Yandere}}: Just about any woman who encounters Scirocco, but most notably Sarah and [[spoiler:Reccoa]].
351* YouAreNotAlone: In a very depressing way of playing this straight, Emma tells this to Kamille at the very start of the last episode. The depressing part about this is that up to that point, [[spoiler:Kamille has lost his mother, his father, his lover, his (sort-of) little sister, and almost all of his friends and comrades. To top it off, Emma says this while dying]]. The important thing to note is that Emma is completely right - [[spoiler:the Zeta Gundam's biosensor, coupled with Kamille's Newtype powers allow him to channel the powers of the dead to defeat Scirocco once and for all in the finale.]]
352----
353->''You will see the tears of time.''

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