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The 08th Team
Shiro
Lt. Shiro Amada
Voiced by: Nobuyuki Hiyama (Japanese) and Steve Staley, credited as "Steve Cannon" (English)
A rookie ensign newly assigned to the 08th Team, Shiro is idealistic but inexperienced. Doing his best to do what he thinks is right, his perceptions of what the right thing to do is in fact, shifted over the course of the series.- All-Loving Hero: Not at first, but the time he spends with Aina, particularly during their second encounter (Episode 7), brings Shiro to the realization that there are good people on both sides of the war, a viewpoint he espouses to his superiors when an inquiry into his suspicious conduct (read: consorting with the enemy) is launched the following episode. His hope that peace can one day be achieved between the Federation and Zeon results in Shiro trying his damnedest to save Topp and her squad that very same episode even after Kiki and the surviving guerillas want revenge for their leader's death, but things don't go too smoothly. Hell, he's the one who has to fire a rocket into Topp's cockpit after unsuccessfully pleading with her to lay down her arms, shedding Manly Tears all the while.
- An Arm and a Leg: He loses his lower left leg at the finale, incurred in the aftermath of the final battle with the Apsalus.
- Babies Ever After: After Shiro and Aina are presumed dead, they start a new life and when they are found by Michel and Kiki, Aina is heavily pregnant with his child.
- Badass Normal: He spent his life growing up in a space colony, and is an ace Mobile Suit pilot, but, there have been no confirmed reports of him being a Newtype. Put simply, in a setting where the best pilots have levels getting close to ESP, Shiro here uses pure skill and determination to win the war.
- Captain Smooth and Sergeant Rough: The Captain to Karen's Sergeant. He is a rather idealist Ensign Newbie that is still learning how to lead his unit, while she is the more experienced soldier that doesn't hesitate before employing some Corporal Punishment.
- Character Development: Shiro started out as a soldier who saw that everyone who follows Zeon was evil. When he met Aina his views changed as he saw that the enemy can be understood and attempt to reconcile for peace instead of complete bloodshed.
- Ensign Newbie: This is actually the nickname that his squad gives him. He's a relative newcomer when he takes command of the 08th MS Team, both to commanding and gravity.
- A Father to His Men: To the 08th Team, but it takes a lot of time and effort for him to get it right and for them to accept him as such. He puts the safety and well-being of his men above all and this leads to Undying Loyalty from his squad.
- Leeroy Jenkins: In his first battle on Earth, he rushes out to engage a team of Zakus, even though he hasn't gotten accustomed to fighting in Earth's gravity yet (and Karen doubting his abilities just spurs him on even harder), resulting in him getting incapacitated and spending a whole day out of contact with his team.
- Meaningful Name:
- His given name is a homophone to "shiro," the Japanese word for "white" and fits with him being a pilot of a protagonist Gundam (usually white).
- "Amada" in Romance languages like Portuguese and Spanish means "beloved," which fits with him being half of a starcrossed couple.
- Mecha-Mooks: One of the things that set him apart from other Gundam main characters is that his Mobile Suits are essentially the heroic equivalents of an Elite Mook, rather than a Super Prototype.
- Nice Guy: So much that even the stress of war is unable to make him stop being so kind and compassionate to others.
- Plot Armor: Took multiple direct hits from a Zaku's machine gun... in a BALL, and survived.
- Reluctant Warrior: Progresses from an eager officer, to someone who really resents the war, to eventually trying to avoid enemy casualties when possible.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: One of the reasons he tends to get in trouble with his superiors from time to time. He'll flaunt orders to do the right thing.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: By the finale Shiro and Aina have grown tired of dealing with the corrupt politicians and General Ripper that fill the ranks of both the Federation and Zeon, so they decide to go AWOL as their way of giving the middle finger to both sides of the war.
- Skilled, but Naive: A competent officer and a good pilot, but totally unprepared for the realities of the war.
- Sole Survivor: Implied, as he's a survivor of Zeon's gassing of Side 2's capital Island Ellish (by virtue of having a space suit on at the time), and escaped before its subsequent use as a Colony Drop.
- Took a Level in Badass: At first, he has trouble fighting in Earth's gravity. Not so much in the final battle.
- Undying Loyalty: To Aina, after falling in love with her, Shiro was willing to do anything for Aina, even abandoning the Earth Federation Forces and faking his death just to be with her.
Karen
MCPO Karen Joshua
Voiced by: Mami Koyama (Japanese) and Debra Jean Rogers (English)
The 08th Team's most experienced pilot, she's the de facto leader prior to Shiro's arrival. With a cynical attitude and a no-nonsense demeanor, she's a capable soldier who gets the job done with a minimum of drama.- Action Girl: Her gender does nothing to hinder her effectiveness in battle.
- Amazonian Beauty: Beautiful, tough, no-nonsense, and good in a fight.
- Butt-Monkey: Despite her muscular body, she's not very good at MS combat and tends to get her ass handed to her. Shiro and the other members of the 08th Team end up saving her a few times.
- Captain Smooth and Sergeant Rough: The Sergeant to Shiro's Captain. Shiro wants to be the squad's friend, she wants them to shut up and listen.
- Corporal Punishment: Beats the crap out of Sanders, tosses wrenches at Eledore, and generally reacts to anything approaching insubordination with violence, as part of established Federation (and general Gundam franchise) practice.
- Groin Attack: Sacks Sanders for "not having any balls."
- The Lancer: She's much more jaded and pragmatic than Shiro, and precisely because of that she is a great help for him both as a leader and as a friend.
- Mecha-Mooks: Like Shiro, she pilots a mass-production Gundam. After a repair job it's given a GM's head, making it further resemble a typical Federation Grunt.
- The Medic: Against all odds. Her husband was a skilled medical officer, and was killed in battle. She apparently learned a thing or two from him. Foreshadowed in the second episode where she's patching up injured soldiers from the 06th MS Team that they find on patrol.
- Sergeant Rock: Rides hard on the 08th Team (mostly Eledore) when necessary. She throws a wrench at the guy for listening to music on duty at one point!
- Sleeves Are for Wimps: Except when its exceptionally cold, Karen always goes out with her tank top on, showing off her muscular arms.
Terry
CPO Terry Sanders, Jr.
Voiced by: Tesshō Genda (Japanese) and Steve Kramer (English)
An experienced pilot, he's rescued by Shiro during a mission gone bad in Episode 1, and ends up joining the 08th MS Team at the same time as Shiro does. Haunted by his previous experience in the war, it takes him some time to adjust to life in the 08th Team.- Ambiguously Brown: Dark skin, dreads... There's a pretty good chance he's supposed to be Black.
- The Big Guy: He's an experienced MS pilot, and his loyalty to Shiro is unquestionable, yet his anxieties about his new team keep him from assuming a command position, and he largely serves as their muscle. He also tends to wield the heavy artillery in battle.
- Grim Reaper: Nicknamed this (Shinigami in the original Japanese) due to his teammates tending to all die on their third mission.
- Heroic Self-Deprecation: Initially he's very negative about his own abilities, largely due to the deaths of his previous teammates.
- I Owe You My Life: The source of his loyalty to Shiro. Shiro risked his life (in a Ball, no less) to give Sanders a shot at escaping a Super Prototype new Zaku, and he will not forget this fact.
- The Jinx: Has had two previous teams shot out from under him, and is terrified he'll do the same to the 08th, prompting him to try and resign at one point.
- Mecha-Mooks: Flies the same mass-production mobile suits as the rest of the squad. Notably because Karen got the head punched off of hers and replaced with a GM head and Shiro's being blasted so hard it got completely rebuilt, Sanders's Gundam remains the last bone-stock one of the squad.
- The Mole: Ethan Ryar tries to force Terry into this role, demanding that he spy on Shiro for the Federation. Terry's guilty conscience over this leads him to spill the beans to Shiro not long after, a revelation that Shiro ultimately takes in stride.
- Old Soldier: When compared to the rest of the squad, absolutely. His actual age is unknown, but he's the grizzled veteran of the group.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Being the Sole Survivor of your team not once but twice will do that to you. He's become terrified of the prospect of it happening again.
- Sole Survivor: Became this twice before the start of the series, and is very bitter about it. Both his previous MS teams were annihilated, and he (and some other soldiers) think he's bad luck because of it.
- Survivor Guilt: His previous two teams were massacred. Terry is more than a little screwed up from this.
- Undying Loyalty: As a result of Shiro saving his life in the first episode, Sanders is the most loyal of the 08th Team members.
Eledore
PO3 Eledore Massis
Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese) and Eddie Frierson (English)
The 08th Team's resident sensor tech, he accompanies the team into battle in the hovertruck, providing battlefield intel rather than fighting directly. He tends to be more interested in his fledgling music career than in being a good soldier, which tends to put him at odds with Karen. His frequent flirting probably doesn't help, either.- Back for the Finale: He comes back after successfully releasing a pop song album in the last few engagements.
- Bridge Bunny: Well, the closest thing the 08th Team's got, anyway, as he's in charge of monitoring signals and also driving the hover-car around.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Seems to be trying to invoke this with Karen.
- Chivalrous Pervert: Primarily seen in his attempts to flirt with Karen. Also hinted at with his collection of pin-up art and magazines.
- Communications Officer: Equal parts intelligence gathering and Mission Control.
- Hover Tank: Drives the team's command vehicle around.
- Never My Fault: Refuses to accept any blame whenever he causes something to go wrong, such as in Episode 5 where he leaves base against orders, gets him and Michel caught by Zeon, and refuses to admit that he's the reason they're in the mess to begin with.
- Non-Action Guy: When he and Michel have to hijack a Zaku, Eledore freaks out and tries to refuse.
- Put on a Bus: After he's injured in Episode 5 and sent off to a field hospital for three episodes.
- Shameless Self-Promoter: Makes requests for songs he wrote to the Army music radio show.
- The Smart Guy: Despite his lackadaisical attitude, he's pretty good at his job.
- Thanks for the Mammary: In Episode 5 with Karen, as a result of post-surgery delirium. This, along with his injuries (and maybe Eledore calling her an angel), is probably the only reason he doesn't get the common response to an accidental groping from a blushing Karen.
- Waiting for a Break: He'd rather make music than fight a war.
Michel
Cpl. Michel Ninorich
Voiced by: Hiro Yuki (Japanese) and Tony Ricci (English)
A replacement sent to the 08th MS Team along with Shiro, Michel ends up working primarily as Eledore's gofer. Somewhat timid, he spends much of his time writing to his girlfriend. Not a particularly effective soldier, and he knows it painfully.- The Alcoholic: During the Distant Finale he appears to have become a drunk thanks to grief over Shiro's apparent death and his girlfriend leaving him.
- "Dear John" Letter: Gets one halfway through the series.
- Did Not Get the Girl: His girlfriend, Bebe, marries another guy much to his dismay.
- Communications Officer: Fulfills this role for the 08th Team alongside Eledore. He mans the hover truck acting as communication between the units and Eledore.
- In Touch with His Feminine Side: Sensitive, distracted by his faraway love, etcetera.
- The Load:
- His role in the 08th Team is to be Eledore's assistant, but Eledore is so good at his job that Michel often feels like he isn't really needed.
- Things come to a head in Episode 6 where Eledore's absence forces Michel to handle the job on his own... only he's too preoccupied by his love letters and nearly gets his CO killed in the process. Kiki reprimands him and Terry makes Michel take his place in the Gundam, saying that the rest of the team is going to die if this keeps up. Luckily, Michel gets out of his funk by the episode's end.
- New Meat: He's thrown into the deep end in battle. He's only 18 years old and woefully unprepared for actual war.
- Non-Action Guy: Like Eledore, his job is to provide battlefield intel rather than fighting.
- Will They or Won't They?: He and Kiki, to a degree. The last episode reveals that they have spent an unspecified amount of time looking for Shiro together, and while it is implied earlier in the series that Michel has a burgeoning interest in her, it's never revealed if they ever become romantically involved.
- The Stool Pigeon: Apparently found out about Aina because he managed to intercept Shiro contacting her over comms. He told Alice Miller about this, making her suspect Shiro is a Zeon spy.
- Too Dumb to Live: Repeatedly, especially early on, to the ire of his squadmates.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Calls out Shiro over his and Aina's relationship.
- Is also on the receiving end of this from Sanders in the first episode, after he mouths off Shiro for taking the Ball out, and seemingly sacrificing himself.
Other Earth Federation
Kojima
Lt. Col. Kojima
Voiced by: Yuzuru Fujimoto (Japanese) and Alfred Thor (English)
The commanding officer of the Kojima Batallion, and thus the 08th MS Team's immediate superior. Somewhat out of favor with the high command, he spends most of his time trying to keep things running rather than leading on the battlefield.- The Brigadier: Kojima is as reasonable as he can be under the circumstances.
- The Dog Bites Back: After being fed up with how Ryer behaves, especially in regards to how Rob, Sally, and Mike died, he just leaves Ryer, with the latter offering him an office in Jaburo, only to refuse, because he doesn't like air-conditioned environments.
- Number Two: Reduced to this status after Ryer arrives.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Unlike his superior Cpt. Ryer, Kojima comes off relatively reasonable, preferring to at least detain and court-martial Shiro rather than execute him on the spot.
Nickard
Lt. Jidan Nickard
Voiced by: Ichirō Nagai (Japanese)
Supply officer for the Kojima Batallion. A fairly laid back old man who always carries a flask carrying liquor. He started a romantic relationship with a woman in a local town, and has something of an antagonistic relationship with Karen Joshua.- The Alcoholic: Always carries a flask of liquor around with him.
- The Barnum: Has no qualms about taking bets when Sanders starts a fight with the 07th team. Nor running away with all the money once Kojima breaks it up.
- Cool Old Guy: If Shiro is playing the role of a father for the 08th Team, then Nickard is the cool grandpa that entertains everyone with his jokes but also knows when to get serious and lend an ear for people in trouble.
- Dirty Old Man: Eledore makes a couple of remarks insinuating this especially with Nickard's crush on Maria. Nickard displays few of the traits though being more of a romantic than a lecher.
- Inconsistent Spelling: According the Blu-ray release, Gidan Nickerd.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Maria, the elder innkeeper who he has the hots for is pretty decent looking for an older woman... which is more than can be said about his appearance.
Sally
A member of the 07th MS team.
- Sleeves Are for Wimps: She wears the standard Earth Federation uniform, except it has the sleeves removed.
Ryer
Cpt. Ethan Ryer
Voiced by: Ichirō Nagai (Japanese)
Kojima's superior, Ryer shows up late in the series, during the Federation's offensive against Ginias. Determined to destroy Zeon's base irrespective of the cost, he considers the men under him resources rather than human beings; expendable as long as it gets the job done.
- Bad Boss: Paranoid, ruthless, and convinced his men are expendable.
- The Captain: Addressed as such, which is strange. Unless he's a naval captain (which doesn't appear to be the case) he should be considerably outranked by Lieutenant Colonel Kojima.
- Establishing Character Moment: Ryer is one of several Federation leadership to appear during Shiro's trial, but for the most part he's out of focus during the proceedings. When Shiro admits to seeing humanity in the Zeon soldiers, the other leaders laugh, but Ryer stays quiet, carefully regarding Shiro. At the end of the trial he finally asks an Armor-Piercing Question about whether Shiro can still fire at the enemy with this mindset.
- Eyes Always Shut: His default facial expression utilizes this trope. Though as you can see from the picture, he opens his eyes whenever his scenes require a certain gravitas; which he ends up doing a lot more than most examples of this trope.
- Face Death with Dignity: While the rest of the crew attempted to evacuate from getting hit by the Apsalus' attack, he at least already knew it was too late.
- General Ripper: Obsessed with defeating Zeon, to the point of excluding all else. He's also quite paranoid when it comes to the possibility of enemy subversion.
- He Who Fights Monsters: Ryer's determination to defeat Zeon has turned him into someone who would very comfortably into their command roster.
- The Horseshoe Effect: From Ginias (at least morally; he's about fifty times saner). This realisation one of the things that motivates Shiro to jump ship.
- Inconsistent Spelling: Ryer, Riar, Lyer, Liar?
- Karmic Death: His interfering in Shiro and Aina trying to finish off the Apsalus resulted in him getting killed by its final attack.
- A Lighter Shade of Black: Though much like Ginias, Ryer establishes himself to be the more level-headed, pragmatic, and less cruel of them. Ryer accepts his death with a lot more dignity and patience while Ginias has a full-blown Villainous Breakdown and tries to kill the one closest to him.
- Nuke 'em: Tries to trigger a nuclear explosion atop Ginias' headquarters by causing a Mobile Suit to detonate.
- Pragmatic Villainy: A key difference between him and Ginias. Ginias's Sanity Slippage leads to him acting impulsive and cruel whilst Ryder's cruelty always has a point to it. This is especially prominent in their standoff where Ryer orders the medical ship destroyed but only after Ginias had broken the cease-fire. Their lives meant little to him, but he made sure that the Federation didn't look like the aggressors in that situation.
- Smug Snake: Arrogant, condescending, and far too self-assured. This leads to his undoing.
- Token Evil Teammate: Unfortunately, he's the one in charge. He manages to make the Federation as a whole look very bad. Given what they became after the One Year War ended, he's actually a pretty textbook example of the typical Federation leadership or at least their largest and most powerful faction, though there were signs even in the original MSG that the upper leadership seemed to be out of touch.
- Tyrant Takes the Helm: A particularly dark version, given that the changes he makes result in far higher casualties. Also a variation, since the former authority figure (Kojima) is still present, but emasculated.
- We Have Reserves: Will gladly throw away his men's lives if it means defeating Zeon. In fact keeps throwing MS at the enemy in hopes that they'll go nuclear and explode.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Kojima called him out when he learns that Ryer secretly ordered for Shiro's execution behind Kojima's back. Kojima also called him out when Ryer ordered the evacuation hosptial ship to be shot down and telling him that he crossed the line and this would lead to Ryer be facing charges for war crimes.
- With Us or Against Us: Displays this attitude towards anyone who has the slightest doubts, most notably Shiro.
Miller
Cmdr. Alice Miller
Voiced by: Gara Takashima (Japanese) and Lynn Fischer (English)
The eponymous viewpoint protagonist of the movie compilation Miller's Report, Alice is a high-ranking intelligence officer assigned with investigating Shiro's activities between his disappearance and apparent association with the enemy.- Aggressive Categorism: She despises Zeon and views Shiro's empathy towards them as signs that he might be a traitor. At the end of the special, she even states that they'd be one step closer to purifying the human race when they exterminate them.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Initially comes off as reasonable and polite when she meets with Shiro, but she later drugs him into giving a taped confession about his feelings toward Aina. It's also implied that sending the 08th team on what is assumed to be a suicide mission was her idea.
- The Bus Came Back: She returns in Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Rebellion still working for the intelligence bureau. She's brought in to investigate a leak in security and a potential spy in Anaheim Electronics.
- Deuteragonist: Of the movie complication named after her. Shiro's the main character, but she is the secondary viewpoint character of the movie.
- I Have This Friend: Miller shares a story with Shiro about someone she knew that trusted a Zeon soldier and was later betrayed and killed. Shiro later deduces, correctly, that Miller was actually talking about herself.
- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Outside of her initial brashness she seemed friendly enough, and tries to emphasize with Shiro's plight. In the end, she's leading him along, drugging him and aiding in his court-martial. By the end of the movie she threatens him at gunpoint, expressing nothing but disgust and anger at his willingness to try and reason with Zeon soldiers.
- That Man Is Dead: Implied. When Shiro points out that the hypothetical story she told him about a Federation soldier who sympathized with a Zeon was likely Miller herself, she replies:
Zeon
Ginias's Forces
Aina
Aina Sahalin
Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue (Japanese) and Emilie Brown (English)
A Zeon test pilot and younger sister to Ginias, one of its most brilliant scientists, Aina encounters Shiro in Episode 1. When the resulting battle leaves them both stranded in space, they work together in order to get rescued. Her repeated encounters with Shiro shape the overall course of the story, gradually leading both of them to question their roles in the war.- Action Girl: She's the pilot of Zeon's new superweapon and very good at it.
- Anti-Villain: She works for Zeon and has a lunatic older brother. Otherwise there's nothing really villainous about her.
- Babies Ever After: With Shiro in the Distant Finale. When Michel and Kiki find them, she is heavily pregnant.
- Blue Blood: Though not a case of Aristocrats Are Evil, she's of noble birth.
- Cain and Abel: The Abel to her brother's Cain. While they are initially partnered on the Apsalus project, her pangs of conscience and his fraying sanity conspire to turn the relationship violent by the end of the series.
- Character Development: Aina at first just wanted to revive Zeon's prestigious Sahalin family by any means necessary even if it means war. When she met Shiro, she started to see the evil of Zeon and attempt to reconcile for peace alongside Shiro so she can be with him and stop her brother's madness.
- Deuteragonist: With Shiro. Her story gets around the second largest amount of focus as the audience sees her point of view with Zeon and her attempts to be with Shiro who is with the Earth Federation Forces.
- Flawed Prototype: She spends the majority of the series as test pilot to the in-development Apsalus mobile armor, which isn't really complete until the final episode when it is given a massive overhaul and become the Apsalus III. The prior versions all had major issues with energy and propulsion.
- Lady of War: A member of the Zeonic nobility, but also an experienced test pilot. Equally comfortable in a gorgeous evening gown or a mobile suit.
- Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter: Well, the younger sister of a Mad Scientist, at least.
- Proper Lady: When she's not piloting a giant mobile armor, she's very refined and polite.
- Seven Heavenly Virtues: Aina has shown to have all Seven Heavenly Virtues.
- Charity: Always intends to help others even if it means sacrificing her own life as she allowed herself to get shot by her brother just to be with Shiro and not having to kill anymore people.
- Chastity: Despite going up against her enemies and working for Zeon, Aina still doesn't try to lose the moral high ground and doesn't let the war blind her from reality.
- Diligence: Always does what she believes is right and will not stop until her work and goals are completed.
- Humility: Selfless and modest, Aina always attempts to show her greatness towards the world despite how cruel it can be, even wanting to set up peace with the Earth Federation Forces to stop the meaningless bloodshed.
- Kindness: Aina always treats the people around her with respect especially those close to her, even not harboring any prejudice towards the Earth Federation Forces despite being at war with them.
- Patience: Aina has the patience of a saint as she always attempted to resolve conflicts peacefully especially with her brother, after he shot her then she knew that patience wasn't going to save her brother.
- Temperance: Aina has the tendency to put other people's happiness ahead of her own as she protected Shiro and even lying to her brother and superiors just to protect him and attempting to make peace with the oposing side even if it was pointless.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: With the psychotic Ginias. Even during war, Aina never forgets her morals, while her brother grows increasingly insane as things spiral out of his control.
- Super Prototype: She begins the series piloting a high mobility Zaku prototype. It managed to wreck Sanders' MS squad. She then pilots the various Apsalus prototypes, which while flawed, are still the most dangerous mechanics in the show.
- Undying Loyalty: To Shiro, after falling in ove with him, she abandons the ideals of Zeon and even escapes alongside Shiro after they defeat her brother and start a new life together.
- Wave-Motion Gun: The Apsalus II and III's particle cannons. They're designed to be able to penetrate the ground to destroy the Federations underground Jaburo headquarters.
- Weapons of Mass Destruction: Pilots one. At first she was doing it of her own free will, but after getting to know Shiro she realizes she doesn't want to see the destruction such a thing would create, so her brother forces her to go back to the cockpit at gunpoint.
- Yamato Nadeshiko: Aina is extremely beautiful and poised, also subtly hinted, but she clearly demonstrates the virtues of the trope towards both Ginias and Shiro. Her being a test pilot also plays into the martial aspect of this trope, demonstrating duty to family.
Ginias
R. Adm. Ginias Sahalin
Voiced by: Show Hayami (Japanese) and Lex Lang (English)
The head of the Apsalus project, Ginias is part nobleman, part scientist, and part military commander. Suffering from Soap Opera Disease, he's prone to neglecting his health, forcing Aina to watch out for him instead. Possessed of a fragile psyche and an obsessive personality to begin with, he doesn't adjust well to the events taking place over the course of the series.- All Take and No Give: He demands a lot out of Aina, subjecting her to ever-increasing danger as the Apsalus test pilot, while giving her very little back in terms of emotional support.
- Aloof Big Brother: Towards Aina, becoming more distant as the development of the Apsalus progresses.
- Ax-Crazy: Once he completely loses his mind, he starts killing his superiors and all his underlings in the Apsalus project so he can have it all to himself to go on a rampage with.
- Badass Bookworm: Becomes one when he loses his mind and climbs into the Apsalus III.
- Beyond Redemption: After attempting to kill everyone who gets in his way and still insisting on causing war just to gain power, Aina starts to lose faith in him. After he attempted to murder her, Aina saw that he's too far gone and needs to be taken out.
- Big Bad: Of the series, though not the war itself (that award goes to Gihren Zabi who heads up Zeon and commissioned his project).
- Blood from the Mouth: He opens Episode 11 with this. It seems to be tied to his Incurable Cough of Death and vague illness.
- Cain and Abel: The Cain to Aina's Abel. While initially, they're on the same side, her increasingly troubled conscience and his degenerating sanity see the relationship turn murderous by the end.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Episode 11 seems to imply his childhood was neither healthy nor loving.
- Domestic Abuse: Initially an aloof older brother who expects everything from Aina but gives nothing back, Ginias becomes increasingly emotionally abusive towards her as the series progresses, culminating in an attempted murder.
- Evil Genius: A mad scientist on the Zeon payroll, he's a pretty classic evil genius.
- Forgets to Eat: Heavily implied, as he seems to grow more Lean and Mean as the series goes and his sanity deteriorates.
- Hiding Behind Your Bangs: Ginias' bangs are used to show his aloof and cold (and increasingly unstable) nature.
- Inconsistent Spelling: The post-episode credits included in the Blu-ray release not only spell his and Aina's surname as Sakhalin, but give his first name as Ginius.
- Incurable Cough of Death: Eventually resulting in the aforementioned bleeding.
- Insane Admiral: He holds the rank of Rear Admiral in Zeon's navy. He's out of his freaking mind, killing allies, superiors, subordinates, enemies, and anyone else who has the bad luck to be in his way.
- Kick the Dog:
- What he did to Kellarny for little reason beyond being a dick. Overlaps with Ungrateful Bastard, as this comes right after Kellarny's men have risked their lives holding off the 08th MS Team to buy time for an evacuation.
- He pulls a You Have Outlived Your Usefulness on his support team, all of them working themselves to the bone and agreeing to stay on the now Fed controlled Earth just to help him. He didn't want anyone else to take the credit.
- His breaking of the ceasefire in the climax is a major low point especially because of how little he had to gain from it all. Aina risks her life to slow hostilities and Ryer even agrees to stand down and Ginias throws it all away with a cheap attack which ultimately gets everyone on the hospital ship Kergeren killed.
- Lack of Empathy: He doesn't care for Zeon's soldiers, his comrades, even his own sister just as long as the Apsalus project is completed.
- Lean and Mean: Opens up Episode 11 looking about as well-fed as a whippet with an eating disorder, presumably because his obsession with completing the Apsalus has long since taken priority over silly things like eating and taking his meds.
- Mad Scientist: His obsession with completing the Apsalus project unhinges his mind over the course of the series, until nothing matters to him beyond escaping with it, demands of reality be damned.
- The Mentally Disturbed: There is something very wrong with how Ginias' mind works, and connection to reality only unravels further as the series progresses. His medication seems to help with this, but his refusal to consistently take it results in him snapping for good and never coming back.
- Mommy Issues: Their mother abandoned them as children. Aina threatening to do the same sends him (further) off the deep end.
- Never My Fault: He does this twice in rapid succession in the final battle. He fires on the Federation after Aina negotiated a truce to evacuate the Zeon wounded, which causes the Federation to shoot down the medical ship, which he then blames exclusively on the Federation and Aina trusting them. Then, he blames Shiro for him shooting Aina, despite the fact that it was Ginias who shot him because she wanted them both to surrender.
- Not So Stoic: Once he finishes the final Apsalus, he loses his noble facade and his mind.
- Sanity Slippage: From Aloof Big Brother to how he ended up.
- Seven Deadly Sins: Ginias suffers from all the Seven Deadly Sins.
- Wrath: Very quick to anger and will kill anyone who gets in his way, including his sister over the slightest thing.
- Pride: Narcissistic and power-hungry, Ginias believes that he is better than Shiro and Aina and thinks all power should be his with no one questioning him or getting in his way.
- Greed: Ginias is obssessed with the Apsalus project and thinks that he's the only one to have the privilage to use it to slaughter his enemies, he even killed all the scientists just so he can use it and because he no longer sees any use for them.
- Sloth: Has his men do all the dirty work for him, then gets rid of them.
- Envy: To some degree, Ginias wishes he gained the proper respect and praise from his soldiers that Aina got but couldn't, not seeing that his narcissism and lust for power was blinding him from becoming better for his allies.
- Lust: Maybe not for a woman, but Ginais has a lust for power as its all he wants, and he is completely enthralled in it.
- Gluttony: His lust for power also extends to his glutton of power as well.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: His growing insanity and violent tendencies contrast with his remarkably sane and increasingly peaceful sister.
- Sissy Villain: Highly effeminate, very evil.
- Soap Opera Disease: While the condition is never mentioned by name, it's generally held by fanon to be Wilson's Disease, a condition of abnormal copper metabolism that often presents with liver disease, neurological damage, and schizophrenia-like symptoms.
- Took a Level in Badass: After climbing into the Apsalus III. Before then he was a Non-Action Big Bad and showed no signs of piloting ability, but he winds up piloting the superweapon himself.
- Villainous Breakdown: Culminating in his break with reality in the finale.
- Yandere: His fixation with Aina is trademark yandere, he wants to possess her and anything but her submitting is seen as betrayal.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Murders his entire research team upon the completion of the project, not wanting to share his glory.
Norris
Capt. Norris Packard
Voiced by: Osamu Ichikawa (Japanese) and Michael McConnohie (English)
A soldier with ties to the Sahalin family, he is protective of Aina specifically. Tangling with the 08th Team on several occasions, the man is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.- All for Nothing: Despite destroying all three Mass-Produced Guntanks, the med-evac ship he stayed behind to protect is shot and blown up by a GM Sniper, rendering Norris's efforts and death worthless.
- Anti-Villain: He's an honorable man whose primary concern is protecting Aina and Ginias.
- Ace Custom: Norris's signature Gouf Custom. It changes up the Gouf's core design and makes it better fitted to longer range combat. A gatling gun is added to the shield and the finger vulcans are replaced with a machine gun attatched to the wrist. The Gouf's trademark heat rod is replaced with a grappling hook and while it's not as effective as a weapon, it's faster and can disable an MS with its electroshock.
- Ace Pilot: Norris is by far the most skilled pilot in the OVA, heads and shoulders above the rest of the cast in skill. The Gihren's Greed series puts his statistics around the same level as Ramba Ral, South Burning, and Yazan Gable, making him one of the best Oldtype pilots.
- Bigger Stick: Despite his abilities as a pilot, Norris's early skirmishes against the 08th Team have little success, as he's stuck piloting basic model Zakus and fighter jets against Gundams. When he suits up in his Ace Custom Gouf, however, it's a very different story.
- Colonel Badass: A front-line officer and likely the most capable pilot in the series.
- Combat Pragmatist: His 3-on-1 fight with the 08th MS Team (technically 6-on-1, if you're counting the Guntanks) required him to utilize every advantage he could, including human shields, taking advantage of the environment, and a suicidal attack to finish his last target.
- Even Evil Has Standards: He is loyal to the Sahalins but it's clear that he only likes Aina with Ginias's plans continuing to endanger their troops and his callous disregard for his own sister.
- Expy: Of Ramba Ral. They even share a voice actor in the dub. They're both honorable Old Soldiers who pilot a Gouf and prove to be one of the greatest challenges to the hero.
- The Gloves Come Off: While facing down the 08th MS Team during the evacuation Norris demonstrates exactly what an ace pilot of his experience is capable of.
- Half the Man He Used to Be: His fate in his battle with Shiro.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Upon learning he's fighting Aina's lover, he opts to throw himself on Shiro's sword and open fire on his real target. He completes his mission and secures victory, while allowing Aina's lover to live. And all it costs him is his life.
- My Master, Right or Wrong: He will obey the Sahalins no matter what.
- Nerves of Steel: When Shiro unloads an Alpha Strike on him, he just stands there... and lets Shiro completely miss.
- Old Retainer: Of the Sahalin family. He acts as a sort of uncle to Aina and tries to be one for Ginias, though that just isn't happening.
- One-Man Army: Holds off the Federation assault singlehandedly, reminding everyone of the difference between a true Ace Pilot and the grunts who make up most of the cast.
- Samurai: Norris hits the samurai themes as hard as possible without actually wearing medieval armor and killing people with a katana.
- Senseless Sacrifice: His heroic sacrifice is undone as the med-evac ship he fought so hard to secure an escape route for ends up being blown to pieces anyway. And then there is the brutal irony that it was Ginias, head of the family that Norris was so loyal to, who provoked the Feds into shooting it down.
- Worthy Opponent: Shiro salutes him after his death.
- You Shall Not Pass!: Holds off the Federation so that Zeon can evacuate a base. He willingly takes a fatal blow so that he can destroy the last mobile weapon that can damage the hospital ship.
Kellarny's Forces
Kellarny
Yuri Kellarny
Voiced by: Kyonosuke Kami (Japanese) and Daran Norris (English)
A Zeon commander roughly equivalent to Ginias in rank, he's an actual battlefield commander as opposed to Ginias' R&D type. Thrown into conflict with Ginias when he becomes a threat to the Apsalus project by retreating to Ginias' base late in the series.- A Father to His Men: Genuinely cares for his people and asks them to come back alive.
- Hidden Depths: Kellarny is a loud, obnoxious lech who asks Aina out on a date seemingly just to unnerve her and piss off Ginias. He's also a good officer who puts the men first... though perhaps to an unreasonable degree, considering he probably broke the Antarctic Treaty on WMDs to get them out of Odessa.
- Inconsistent Spelling: Kellarny or Kellerne? Both the Blu-rays and Gundam Wiki go with the latter, in opposition to just about everywhere else, and even MAL lists both spellings depending on where you look.
- Killed Off for Real: Courtesy of Ginias, then well into his Sanity Slippage. Specifically, Ginias closes the cavern gate to his hidden base while Kellerne, Abust, and a few more of Kellerne's men are trapped outside, then sets off a bomb, killing them all.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: To his troops. Unlike most Zeon commanders we see, he genuinely respects and cares for his men and they trust in him.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to Ginias' blue. Ginias is scientific, stoic (until he snaps, that is), and cold. Yuri is militaristic, brash, and (overly) friendly.
- Say My Name: His final words are shouting out Ginias' name in a mix of shock and anger, right before an explosion set off by Ginias engulfs him. Immediately preceding this, he calls out the names of two Mauve Shirts killed in the first wave of explosions, Lunen and Barry/Vari.
- Sexy Secretary: Has a blonde one named Cynthia, who appears to be rather intimate with him if the way she clings to Kellarny after draping his coat over his shoulders at the beginning of Episode 7 is any indication. In a major Kick the Dog moment two episodes later, viewers see Cynthia tied up and presumably drugged after an implied interrogation by Ginias wherein he learns a certain "Commandant Gihren" has yet to receive word of the order to shut down construction of the Apsalus. With this information, Ginias proceeds to eliminate Kellarny from the picture so that his plans can continue unimpeded.
Abust
Bone Abust
Voiced by: Kenyū Horiuchi (Japanese) and Robert Axelrod (English)
A Zeon Captain serving under Kellarny. Abust was in charge of a Gaw carrier that ferried the Zeon Remnants from Odessa in hopes that they could escape Earth. An encounter with the 08th Team raises an interest in Abust and he attempts to run interference while the soldiers evacuate.- Evil Sounds Deep: A low and gravely voice, as to be expected of Lord Zedd.
- Hold the Line: Commands a small unit consisting of three tanks in order to ward off the advancing 08th MS Team long enough to cover the evacuation. Surprisingly, the only "loss" on his side is Abust's tank itself (courtesy of Shiro), whereas Terry's Gundam has one of its legs disabled by suppressive fire and is forced to retreat.
- Hope Spot: His fight with the 08th Team, wherein Abust actually manages to hold them back long enough for a full evacuation and even survives his fight with Shiro. Unfortunately as he returns, he, Kellarny, and the other two Zeon Mauve Shirt soldiers are incinerated by Ginias.
- Inconsistent Spelling: Von Abst in the Blu-rays' post-episode credits.
- Killed Off for Real: Same deal as Kellarny above.
- Tank Goodness: He and two other soldiers take on the 08th Team in Magellan Attack Tanks and manage to hold their own.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Downplayed. An earlier encounter between Abust and Shiro in Episode 9 leaves Abust confused when Shiro refuses to fire upon his ship, and while grateful for having his life and that of his crew spared, Abust plainly tells Shiro he will not extend that same courtesy in return the second time they meet on the battlefield. But see Worthy Opponent below.
- Worthy Opponent: He has a brief bit of this with Shiro, trading fire and viewpoints. In the end after Shiro comes out on top of their duel, Abust is seen running away, saluting him; Shiro lets out a friendly laugh at the situation.
Topp Squadron
Topp
Topp
Voiced by: Yoshiko Sakakibara (Japanese) and Julie Demita (English)
Leader of a squadron of injured Zaku's that arrive in a village to ask for food. Unbeknownst to them it's the Guerilla camp and tensions run high as Topp and her soldiers rest there.- Alas, Poor Villain: She ends up dead despite her best efforts to avoid a fight with the villagers, even after finding out they're armed anti-Zeon guerrillas. In one of Topp's last moments, she is clearly terrified of the guerrillas marching toward her toppled suit (most of them attempting Extreme Mêlée Revenge with farming implements).
- Anti-Infantry: Her Zaku has "anti-personnel weapons" in the form of bombs that launch into the air and spray shrapnel around it. She uses them when her downed suit is getting swarmed by guerrillas.
- Anti-Villain: Topp might be a Zeon soldier, but she is fair and level-headed. When approaching the village she pushes for a peaceful asking of food rather than any demands. When Arth threatens to rape Kiki, she in turn threatens to shoot him right there and claim it was enemy fire.
- Dark Action Girl: She's a Zeon pilot and a capable one even in a Zaku I.
- Defiant to the End: Shiro mostly disables Topp's Zaku, but she keeps fighting despite his demands to surrender. Though considering Topp was trying to escape, it's debatable if this is defiance or she just didn't believe Shiro.
- Determinator: Even with the most technologically inferior Zaku of the group, and her defeat at the hands of human-wielded bazookas, Topp is a very hard soldier to keep down, and continues to fight with her crippled Zaku I and her anti-personnel weapons.
Dell
Dell
Voiced by: Toshihiko Nakajima (Japanese) and Kirk Thornton (English)
A member of Topp's squadron and seemingly her second in command. Dell pilots a Zaku II wielding a recoil-less Magella Attack Tank cannon.- Accidental Murder: When the guerrillas attack, Dell is ordered to make a rocket jump with his Zaku. There's a house behind him with Kiki's father in it and though Dell sees them attempt to attack him, he'd already activated his rockets and incinerates the soldiers in the house, including Kiki's dad.
- BFG: His Zaku II carries a two-handed cannon that was repurposed from a Magella Attack Tank.
- Fatal Family Photo: Played with. There's a photograph of a kid in his cockpit, seemingly his own, but it's never commented on. The trope is still played straight with the photo used as shorthand to humanize him before his inevitable death.
- Inconsistent Spelling: The Blu-rays spell his name as Del, omitting the second "l".
- Pet the Dog: When giving back the bowl of food to a child, there were bullets in it that the child identified as Zeon-made. In the dub, it's altered to having the child convinced the bowl is made of shell casings.
Arth
Arth
Voiced by: Hideyuki Umezu (Japanese) and Garry Michaels (English)
The rookie in Topp's squadron. Arth is an impatient slacker with little in regards to authority or empathy.
- Asshole Victim: The first to die in Topp's Squadron and also the least sympathetic. Tellingly, neither Topp nor Dell seem to mourn him.
- Attempted Rape: Though never explicitly stated, him grabbing Kiki and bringing her to his cockpit is a fairly strong hint at this. Topp threatens to shoot him if he went through with it and he backs down.
- Hate Sink: He only has three scenes to himself and each builds on the fact that he's a terrible human being. The fact that his perversity directly leads to the death of his squadron (who, aside from him, were honorable soldiers), as well as Kiki's father, his second-in-command, and most of the guerilla village, doesn't help.
- Inconsistent Spelling: In a sort of Aeris/Aerith situation, the Blu-rays give his name as As.
- Karmic Death: His forceful advance towards Kiki is one of the most outright evil and immoral actions depicted in not only the series, but arguably the entire One Year War. An enraged guerilla gives him a direct hit from a rocket launcher through his Zaku's open cockpit for his trouble.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Arth's Zaku II's shoulder shield is long gone and he carries a salvaged Federation shield to compensate. Interestingly it's the more typical Feddie Shield design rather than the main ones featured in series.
- Military Maverick: Much like Jerid Messa, Arth is a deliberately negative example of the trope. He's a young pilot with a casual air and no respect for the command structure and has a jock-like maverick appearance. His carefree attitude serves to underscore how loathsome he is as he casually endangers other people's lives and fucks everyone over.
- Would Hurt a Child: Casually drops his heat hawk on the ground and nearly crushes a kid with it as a joke. And that's before considering his intentions with Kiki...
Civilian
Kiki
Kiki Rosita
Voiced by: Chinami Nishimura (Japanese) and Michelle Ruff (English)
A civilian girl living in the area where the show takes place, she is a member of the local guerilla forces that oppose both the Earth Federation and Zeon. Initially antagonistic, she eventually warms up to Shiro when it becomes clear that he actually cares about the wellbeing of the locals. She eventually invites herself onto the team, tagging along even when they range far from her home village.- Action Girl: She's as much of one as she can be when dealing with Mobile Suits on foot. She's certainly capable, but there's little she can effectively do against MS without one of her own.
- Break the Cutie: Halfway through the series she loses her father, her village, and most of her guerrilla comrades all in one episode. And then there's the novelization...
- Death by Adaptation: Her fate in the anime? Search for (and eventually find) Shiro and Aina. Her fate in the novelization? Be captured and gang-raped by Federation soldiers to the point that she commits suicide by biting off her tongue.
- Friend to All Children: She might be a tomboy but she's very good with children.
- Funny Background Event: In the OP she's stealing alcohol from Shiro without him noticing. Which has its own Funny Background Event of Sanders noticing and giving her a weird look.
- Heroic BSoD: After her father and all the guerrillas are killed, she just sort of breaks down. She's seen thanking Shiro for saving her and the remaining villagers while simultaneously yelling at him to go so they can all properly grieve.
- Hopeless Suitor: To Shiro. Sorry, little girl, Star-Crossed Lovers is in play. You don't have a chance.
- La Résistance: Her father is the leader of a guerrilla faction in the local village.
- Inconsistent Spelling: In perhaps the strangest example from the Blu-ray release, the credits list Kiki's last name as Logita. While the characters used in the original Japanese (ロジータ) do read "Rojīta," there's no telling where that "L" came from.
- Ms. Fanservice: Despite being so young (17), she's the source of most blatant fanservice in the show, both in and out of universe. She appears nude with nipples (something that, by comparison, Aina doesn't get when bathing in a hot spring with Shiro during Episode 7), and many characters express interest in her sexually.
- Naked First Impression: She was bathing in a river, then Shiro walked in on her and she chases him away by pulling out a gun.
- Will They or Won't They?: She and Michel get something of this vibe. They're both plucky younger members of the group and together, they look for Aina and Shiro.
- Put on a Bus: She doesn't appear from the slaughter of the guerrillas in Episode 8 to the Distant Finale.
- Second Episode Introduction: Downplayed. She has a brief (if not memorable) introduction in the second episode, but doesn't truly become prominent until the events of the third, after which Kiki chooses to break off from the other guerilla fighters and provide aid to the 08th Team.
- Sixth Ranger: She accompanies the squad into the desert when they hunt the Apsalus.
- Tank-Top Tomboy: Her regular outfit is a tank top that leaves her midsection exposed.
