Opens up with a tremendous war sequence, as Fumina and other gunpla fighters sortie to take down Axis, fighting their way through a tremendous horde of mobile suits, and she actually fights her way right up to the final boss, the Musha Gundam.
When Plamo Club President Miyaga has Fumina on the ropes, and is about to deliver the killing blow, Sekai blocks him. And then if that wasn't enough, he throws away his Dom's heat saber, and fights Miyaga's Enact, performing a Barehanded Blade Block, and then trashing the Enact with a single blow!
The kicker is what happens when he does the blade block; Sekai breaks the Enact's folding dagger!
The reveal of the Build Burning Gundam, about 3 minutes worth of 9011% pure. Burning. BADASS. Also, holy shit Sei, you built a Gundam, and then disguised it as a Dom?!
Yuuma's spectacular turncoating on Miyaga. No details necessary.
Episode 3
Team Northern Song Dynasty Vase pulling off a Jet Stream attack on Sekai.
Fumina and Yuuma setting up an impromptu trap. Fumina gets her Powered GM Cardigan cornered on a cliff, only to move and reveal that she was covering a tiny gap through which Yuuma shoots and takes out Keiko Sano's Gundam.
Made even more awesome by the fact that Yuuma was quite some distance away.
The fact that Fumina was able to set this up without telling Yuuma to do so shows just how in sync those two are since they've been battling together since childhood.
Sekai's Senpu Tatsumaki-Geri, a Hurricane Kick so powerful, it sucks up all the missiles from Gyanko's R-Gyagya.
Sekai using the Seiken Zuki counts as one both for him and for Gyanko's R-Gyagya. The punch is powerful enough that it tears a hole through the colony. At the same time however, the R-Gyagya barely takes any damage, save for a shield falling off and even then said shield was still intact when Sekai returned it, it was more in danger of getting sucked out of the colony.
Sekai even compliments its durability. Kind of doubles as heartwarming when you think back to how devoted she was to her brother, and how much she trusted in the shield he made for her. Also shows how Sazaki's skills as a builder have improved.
Also one for Susumu Sazaki. Take note that the Build Burning has the RG System always turned on, meaning that the Seiken Suki has the force of a Build Knuckle, if not higher, and still not a dent on the shield. That's one tough shield.
Episode 4
Instant Gunpla Building, Minato Sakai style. That is all.
To elaborate: most Gunpla, SD models included, take quite a bit of time and effort to put together even basically. Minato hurls the kit into the air, precisely removes the parts with a hobby knife and leaving no plastic nubs to sand down at that, and then rapidly assembles the parts and applies the stickers to create a high quality build in a matter of seconds. The Gunpla Shingyo School ain't nothing to mess with.
Following the above moment, he proceeds to wreck Sekai in their Gunpla Battle, showing him that brute force won't do anything in the tournament.
Minato: "The essence of Gunpla Battle is, 'the Gunpla and the fighter fight together as one'!"
Special mention must be given to the aforementioned battle: Western fans may not get the reference at all (as their manga and gunpla never made it to the west), but for those fans who do, the entire battle between Musha Godmaru and Kouki Gundam (Both come from the SD Senkokuden continuity, and they're also sort-of related in-universe), in full animated glory, is nothing but a plain masterpiece.
After both of them hitting each other with their Finishing Move, Godmaru, now with its armor destroyed and its forehead bleeding, continues trying to hit Kouki with its attack, not unlike God Gundam's second God Finger. Unfortunately Minato simply has the Kouki transform; he then flies into the air before crashing into Sekai's Godmaru, claiming victory.
Episode 5
The entirety of the 3rd match, demonstrating how far Team Try Fighters have gotten with their respective plamodels and training, in the case of Sekai. Sekai gets very special mention for what he does with the Build Burning Gundam — which is cued by Cerulean starting up in the background.
Build Burning Gundam walks, runs and jumps in space. That is all.
Sekai punches a colony so hard he splits the entire thing in half.
Sekai also indirectly manages to wipe Minato's arrogant smile off his face by doing what he does here.
Episode 6
The Offscreen Moment of Awesome when Team TRY Fighters take on the Mega Size Mock MS. Too bad we didn't get to see it for it risk spoiling the entire episode.
Gyanko served a Zaku Panini, by flattening said Zaku with her shields, repeatedly.
Fridge Brilliance sets in when you consider that those same shields withstood Sekai's Megaton Punch without so much as a scratch. For them to be able to flatten a gunpla model shows just how well made they are.
Highlights of the fight between Team SRSC and Team TRY Fighters.
The fact that SRSC is able to use the personality of each fighter against them is awesome. If not for Fumina's secret weapon, Team TRY Fighters would have lost the match.
Build Burning Gundam, equipped with the Winning Knuckle punches the ground so hard, it blows away all the communication jammers spread around the battlefield. It then outpunches the EZ-SR Intruder and outright destroys it.
Fumina's Gunpla building skill (As evidenced by the Winning Gundam) earns the respect of Minato Sakai.
Episode 7
After the disappointing Team Try Fighters vs. Team Angelfish, we're treated to a battle between Team Babylonia vs. Team FAITH. Mr. Ral and Yuuma are convinced that Team FAITH, all three piloting Gunpla that were built straight from the box, are going to outright lose due to the lack of customization. While the Jet Windam and Murasame do go down, the Destiny Gundam tears through Babylonia's Gunpla like they were nothing.
Of course, there's also the fight between Build Burning and Destiny Gundam, a straight-out No-Holds-Barred Beatdown between the two, literally tearing each other apart just to win.
Backed up by the fact that the Destiny Gundam is a straight build, meaning not customized at all. In a tournament full of Ace Customs not only does it manage to make it to the quarter-finals, but also manages to nearly beat a Gunpla designed by Sei, and piloted by a skilled close-quarters fighter like Sekai.
There is also the other two members of FAITH pulling off a Taking You with Me with the other two members of Try, sending them out of the arena.
Episode 8
Susumu Sazaki made it to the top 16 of the 10th Gunpla World Championship. Kid has gone a long way to finally took a level in badass.
During the battle Akira Suga defeating one of the members of Team Song Dynasty Vase by wrestling it with a G Fighter!
It should be noted that usually a man slapping a woman isn't an awesome thing to do, but Yomi was engaging in a serious Kick the Dog moment by mocking Gyanko, trampling all over her pride as a fighter. The point where Akira hits his limit is when she smugly tells Gyanko she should quit Gunpla Battle, prompting the Bright Slap.
Sekai, being in concentrated training for their battle with G-Master, is currently at doubt. Who else comes to help him train but Shimon and Gyanko? Doubles as Heartwarming too.
The entire battle between Team Try Fighters and G-Master was so Hot-Blooded and full of twists, it could have served as the final battle of a Gundam OVA. Highlights include:
Yuuma's Lightning Gundam facing off against Sudou's Mega-Shiki. Despite being bested by its armaments and firepower (even burnt into half by the Mega Particle Cannon), Yuuma manages to continue on and finally waylay him by shanking him with a hidden beam saber, not unlike Reiji flipping the Star Build Strike's waist-mounted beam sabersto impale Ricardo Fellini's Wing Gundam Fenice. When Sudou was shocked at how he, a famed Builder, sacrifices his own Gunpla, Yuuma proudly states that right now, he's a Fighter.
Despite Akira's warning that the Jigen Haoh-ryu techniques will not work on the G-Bomber's capacity for hand-to-hand combat, Sekai manages to break free from his hold and even meet, point-by-point, all of the projectile weaponry thrown at him. Just like Domon can.
When battling the G-Bomber, Sekai decides to use his Senpu Tatsumaki-Geri whirlwind attack. Akira prepares to defend against it, but it's revealed to be a feint to cover a Seiken Zuki punch. It shows that Sekai accounted for Akira's knowledge of Jigen Haoh-ryu, and learned how to feint in order to throw off his guard.
Akira and Yomi actually making one of the more ridiculous G-Armor configurations from Mobile Suit Gundam actually make sense.
Minor but still very relevant: Meijin Kawaguchi III's back.
Episode 10
Mihoshi, now performing under her real name, has become a star in Hollywood. And damn if she doesn't look amazing!
Mirai proves that she's not just for show, more than holding her own when attacked, and handily defeating the Turn-A with the Puchiguy. Helps that she also studied Jigen Haoh when she was younger.
A minor one and also a blink-and-you'll-miss-it is that one of the models Yuuma offers to Mirai is a MA-04X Zakrello Rainer Cziomer Color Version. Remember that back in Build Fighters, Rainer built a 1/144 Gaw, which is a mobile carrier, from scratch, which was complimented for being a quality built model. He's probably found success as a gunpla builder during the time skip to the point where his custom color scheme builds are now retail products.
Episode 11
How do you make a fight stop? Gundam Amazing Red Warrior descending from the heavens, outlined with the sun behind him.
Do we even have to mention the Theme Song Power Up as this scene occurred in the show? Meijin Kawaguchi III indeed.
Tatsuya Yuuki/Meijin Kawaguchi III was already badass to begin with, but come Try fighters, it's revealed that he won three consecutive world championships and is now in the Gunpla Hall of fame. Only time will tell if Sei has a record as impressive or more.
A minor one but Sekai drops some sagely wisdom on the arrogant team of the week, claiming that the great do not need to boast about it, they simply do what they can and that is what makes them truly great. Seems some of his master's advice has been sticking well.
Episode 12
Adou finds out the hard way what it means to fight against Meijin Kawaguchi III, as the latter completely No Sells all of his attacks - the very same attacks that roughed up Try fighters in the previous episode.
Hell, the only reason he hasn't lost is because Allan pulled the plug on the battle before the Meijin could go to town on Adou's ass.
Still seemingly not sated with his own coolness, the Meijin then proceeds to commandeer a gunpla shop's battle system to challenge Yuuma to a battle, with both using the other's gunpla. Despite the Lightning Gundam still being heavily damaged and Yuuma using the Amazing Red Warrior, the Meijin still steamrolls him into the ground.
For extra coolness, the kids in the shop all completely geek out at him just walking in as if he owned the place. The owner even starts to ask him for an autograph, only for him to interrupt and reply that he'll sign autographs later. Cue the only girl in the shop doing a Luminescent Blush while one of the boys remark "He replies at three times normal speed too!"
The debut of Wilfried Kijima's Gunpla, the Transient Gundam, which dispatches Matsunaga's Custom Zaku so quick that it's even shorter than a Curb-Stomp Battle. And when surrounded by Kei Karima's Shield Bits, he just move his lance to slice a beam into 3 which collides with the other beams, slicing them into 3 and the process just went on. Yeah, he kinda recreated an NTD field with just a movement of his lance.
And if one paid attention to the fight between him and Matsunaga, you'll know that the Transient Gundam has a GN Field. Meaning that the move was done just to show the audience how skillful he was. And after all that, he's still holding back!
The fight between Sekai's Build Burning and Kijima's Transient. It just reaches Shocking Moment level and is still soaring!!!
The fact that Sekai is able to keep up with a "no holds barred" Kijima is awesome in itself. But then we found out that Sekai, with literally no Gunpla building experience, is able to tune the Build Burning (Albeit he had help from Shia) to be even stronger. Remember that the Build Burning was built by Sei, a world class builder.
More poignant when you realize that the 'tuning', in a sense, is actually to that of the pilot now using it. Like Judau not being able to maximize the Zeta's potential because it was made to Kamille's specifications, Sekai wasn't able to draw out Build Burning's true potential because it was tuned to Reiji's style. Now that he has effectively made the Build Burning his personal unit, it can show its true strength.
Sekai's new technique that he created breaks the moon. And the fact that it garnered an Oh, Crap! expression from Kijima is awesome itself.
Even crazier, he destroys the moon with Build Burning's bare fists!
Sekai's new technique breaks even Build Burning. And this is just damage level C. Wonder how strong this technique will be at damage level A.
Episode 14
The new opening, in true Gundam fashion, outdoes the previous one beautifully. It really sets the mood for the National Tournament arc.
We find out that Sei hid even more clear parts under the Build Burning's armor. Keep in mind everything it did above and realize that they are why it can do that stuff in the first place. Jeez Sei, even you upgraded Gunpla are built with further upgrades in mind.
Lucas Kankaansyrjä's Curb-Stomp Battle to Granadia Academy's team - all of them using ace customs - with a simple Jegan. Even better, the reason he used that Jegan? Because he remembered Aila curbstomping a Devil Gundam in a Jegan, 7 years ago, and wants to emulate her.
Episode 15
Team Try Fighters utterly annihilate their opponents in a spectacular display of power. Take note that the match is similar to their battle in episode 5.
Sekai's Try Burning one-shots one of them by showing improved teamwork with Yuuma and a controlled one-handed version of it's new Phoenix attack.
Fumina's Star Winning no-sells her enemy's beam attack with it's new funnels and destroys it with a gunblade.
Yuuma's upgraded Lightning keeps pace with a Kyrios in Trans-Am without transforming and accurately destroys it's weapon at high speed.
The whole team execute a combination attack that ends in a massive explosion.
What makes it so moving is the fact that they pulled this off without so much as talking to each other showing how much more they've grown as a team.
How do you top splitting a colony in the regionals? SPILT A MASSIVE ASTEROID!
Episode 16
Shia has been told that in order to properly gauge her newly completed G-Portent, she is to fight alone by her brother Wilfred. That means both he and Adou will sit out in the battle against Kei Karima. She does so and it's a complete Curbstomp Battle in her favor; Nothing he and his Vagan Gear K does works on her, and keep in mind her Gunpla "G-Portent" hasn't even gone for a shakedown, she's piloting it for the first time, and she makes it dance. It's not an exaggeration to say that everybody in the arena is shocked.
For fans of the Super Robot Genre, the Gundam Tryon 3's ridiculously over-the-top transformation sequence was probably this for them. Of course, the stunned silence of the entire audience (even the Kawaguchis, who are already rather notorious for their hamminess, were completely speechless) immediately shifted the scene into a Funny Moment.
Team White Wolf showed that when they're not facing the Gunpla Academy, they're actually a pretty good team. They completely beat their opponents who were trying to use all sorts of ninja gimmicks on them.
Episode 17
Fumina manages to escape from the booby-trapped tunnel's explosion and saves her captured teammates with her Star Winning Gundam. She can do more than just a support role for Team Try Fighters after all.
Episode 18
The debut of Star Winning Gundam's Real Mode. Full Stop.
As a follow up to this, Shia compliments Fumina on her gunpla and states that she believes that they would have a great battle if ever they faced off with their gunpla. The girl who's building skills surpass those of the best builders in the Japan and just curbstomped a mobile armor all on her own just acknowledged that Fumina's own building and combat skills.
Sei indirectly coming to Try Fighters' aid by having China bring her younger brother spare parts for Build Burning for Yuuma to use for Try Burning.
As an added bonus, the song that plays during this moment is "GUNDAM BUILD FIGHTERS", the track which used to play whenever Sei and Reiji would do something awesome in the original Gundam Build Fighters.
Episode 19
Sekai's battle with Junya starts with the two fighters trading blows from the Jigen Haoh school of fighting. Then, Junya breaks out alternate fighting styles and hits the Build Burning with attacks from Aikido, Boxing, and Chinese Martial Arts. There's even a shout out to Hajime no Ippo where Junya uses a gazelle punch and Dempsey roll, complete with the distinct whirling movement.
The evolution of Yuuma's fighting style is quite visible in this episode. If there was any doubt that he had overcome his limits, it was definitely laid to rest with the almost-reckless confidence he displayed in taking down one of Junya's teammates.
Episode 20
The end of Sekai and Junya's match. It comes with a multi-form technique and a Burning Finger.
Even before then, Sekai, lamenting how he couldn't prevent the Try Burning from getting severely damaged, was about to give up. In response, the Try Burning releases its storage particles, showing its desire to keep fighting.
If you take the lines about "Sei's soul is in the Try Burning" as being slightly more than metaphorical, in the way that it was thought that a bit of a blacksmith's soul went into the swords he forged, then it means that Sei's soul/spirit wanted to keep fighting.
Considering the BGM used when the smackdown occurs is "GUNDAM BUILD FIGHTERS", yes, Sei's soul is definitely involved.
This calls back to the ending of the original series where Reiji told Sei that the latter was never bad at gunpla battle, he was just afraid his gundams would be damaged. Now Sei is indirectly passing that message onto Sekai.
The off-screen battle between the Crossbone Gundam X-1 Full Cloth and Team White Wolf. Curb-Stomp Battle is probably the lightest term you could use for this.
Episode 21
The entire battle between Team Celestial Sphere and Team Von Braun, full stop. Highlights include Wilfred blasting a hole through a Floating Continent, Lucas later using that same hole to catch Shia from behind with his Gunpla's Core Fighter (keep in mind that this is an HG model kit, which lacks the detail to have its own Core Fighter), the debut of Gundam The End's transformation, Lucas repelling a pincer attack by Wilfred and Adou, Shia using Haro repair bots to recover damage and snipe one of Von Braun's support units from out of nowhere, and the entire final clash between Wilfred and Lucas, in which both of them unleash their respective Gunpla's Super Modes. Which, for Wilfred, involves a mix of the Wings of Light and Quantum Burst.
Extra credit should go to Lucas's teammate Tomita. When his gunpla, a barely modified Geara Doga, is caught refueling the Full Cloth by Saga and Kijima, his immediate response is to charge straight at them, beam gatling gun blazing, and hold the fucking line so the Full Cloth can escape. Even losing an arm doesn't slow the Doga down; it takes Gundam The End biting its head off to put it down. And for the record- yes, Gundam The End can bite another gunpla's head off with the mouth on its torso. It's pretty metal.
While we all knew in our hearts of hearts that Lucas would lose (come on, how prominently Celestial Sphere's featured in the intro pretty much guarantees they're the "final boss" team), he showed us something important: that Try's resident god-tier Gunpla aren't invincible. By the end of the battle, all three of Celestial Sphere's Gunpla are damaged, the Transient most of all. As in the one which can deflect incoming beams so they create a geometric barrier. As in the one built by the man who is a serious contender for being the next Meijin. While he had plenty of backup in the form of particle resupply, combat-wise he was soloing Celestial Sphere.
Episode 22
Tryon 3 vs. Lightning Full Vernian definitely pulled out all stops, being reminiscent of the Star Build Strike vs Wing Gundam Fenice Pummel Duel from the first season. Also, the return of the BravePerspective that has been long absent from a Gundam show since SEED Destiny.
The escalating beam battle, along with the character shouts and the epic music. Especially Fumina's "Full POWWWWWAAA" and Minato Sakai's "LIGAAAH GLAYYYAH!"
That's not even the half of it. They do this by creating giant Plavsky animals surrounding their Gunpla! (Sekai's is his signature phoenix while Wilfrid gets a tiger)
The parts of the patched-together Try Burning that are still intact at the end of the battle? The ones originally made by Sei. Sei Iori is still the greatest Builder.
Not to sell Yuuma short, though. He and Minato prepared for the final battle by making the polycaps for all of Team Try Fighters' Gunpla interchangeable, allowing for the parts of the Try Burning, Star Winning, and Lightning Gundams to be used for the other's frames just in case they needed to be. Minato mentions that they had to essentially rebuild all three from scratch just to pull it off.
Episode 25
The episode kicks off with the return of the Zaku and Kampfer Amazing, with Meijin and Lady at the controls. Lady shows here once and for all why she's worthy to stand alongside the Meijin. The exhibition match ends with both Gunpla and their battlers in "The East Is Burning Red" pose.
Also, note that Lady is using the Kampfer Amazing, which is superior to the Zaku Amazing that Meijin's using, and they are equally matched.
Meijin calling out Sakai for not even asking for Fumina's permission. Just goes to show what an awesome man he is.
The battle royale that evolves from Yuuma and Minato's argument over their Gunpla choices, leading to some amazing new suits entering the battlefield and entertaining battles such as the Meijin Kawaguchi and Mr. Ral
The previous statement doesn't really do it justice. Ramba Ral was able to match Meijin Kawaguchi blow for blow as they're flying all over the arena! If there was anything to remind people of Ral's Badass credentials when he spends most of the time being rather bumbling, it is this!
The identity of Sekai's master is revealed in the very end: Domon Kasshu!
Lady Kawaguchi appears to challenge Fumina as she promised. Then when Shia and Gyanko challenge her as well, she agrees to face all three of them at once!
Yuuma's Lightning Zeta can use Sekai's Phoenix technique - which now has its own badass name: the Houou Haoh-Ken!
The translated name is just as awesome: Phoenix Tyrant Fist.
The Scramble Gundam boosting out of the test arena so fast it nearly broke through the glass to the control center. It actually managed to penetrate the glass with its fist.
The Try Fighters beating Song Dynasty Vase with their brand new attack, which we see later on as using Star Winning's Plavsky Power Gates to fuse their Gunpla together to turbocharge the Kamiki Burning. Later it's shown that adding even more Gunpla to the mix gives them enough power to summon a giant apparition of Superior Kaiser to devastate the enemy.
The battle inside Yajima Labs, with everyone unleashing brand new devastating attacks to wipe out the attacking Mobile Suits. And unlike the last time this happened, it's a total Curb-Stomp Battle in favor of our heroes!
The Scramble Gundam's ultimate attack, summoning Photon Ring Ray, Celestial Being and Colony Laser to fire upon the heroes. It takes their combined power to block the tri-beam attack. So what does the Scramble Gundam do? Change the scenery and trigger a Colony Drop!
The ending: the identity of the little girl's parents is Aila and Reiji, so one more to Aila for finally getting through that thick skull of Reiji's.
