History Manga / MobileSuitGundamThunderbolt

* AlternateContinuity: While it is set in the Universal Century, the series exists in its own continuity and doesn't fit in with any other existing ''Gundam'' work.

** RealRobot: Part of the design aesthetics of this series is that ''every'' space-use mobile suit has a whole bunch of extra verniers and propellant tanks added to their backpack, as well as covering on joints to prevent debris from getting in, inspired by real-life space shuttles. Also, the GM's new backpack was based on the life support system of real-life space suits. In the anime, the cockpit designs were also modernized, with touch screen displays instead of buttons and dials.

* BoomHeadshot: Io's Mobile Suit's start and end the arc on the receiving end of this; as this is Gundam, headshots aren't fatal. The GM he sends out in the first episode gets a blast from a Big Gun right through the head with enough of an explosion to blow the upper chest and arms off. In the Full-Armor Gundam he takes a hit from a bazooka round to the cranium, damaging an optic and cracking the V-fin, but leaving the mech more or less operational. The fight ends with [[spoiler:Darryl sending a sturmfaust straight through the Gundam's head at point blank range, smashing right through without exploding]].

* GenreDeconstruction: Towards the end of the first arc we get to see, in excruciating detail, how giving a bunch of teenagers mobile suits and throwing them into battle would ''actually'' [[KillEmAll turn out]].

* KillEmAll: [[spoiler: Subverted]]. The climax of the series has many main characters dead, and is set to (almost coincidentally) kill the rest in one fell swoop. [[spoiler: However, Cornelius talks Karla out of setting off the bomb that would have killed the remaining named characters. Even Io and Daryl manage to both survive their final duel. The next arc even reveals that some characters thought dead survived the events of Thunderbolt Sector]].

------------
-->''"When you hear jazz, it'll be your exit music."''

------------

* KillEmAll: [[spoiler: Subverted]]. The climax of the series has many main characters dead, and is set to (almost coincidentally) kill the rest in one fell swoop. [[spoiler: However, Cornelius talks Karla out of setting off the bomb that would have killed the remaining named characters. Even Io and Daryl manage to both survive their final duel]].

* RealityEnsues: Towards the end of the first arc we get to see, in excruciating detail, how giving a bunch of teenagers mobile suits and throwing them into battle would ''actually'' [[KillEmAll turn out]].

!''Gundam Thunderbolt'' provides examples of:

* After the war, the ''Spartan'' fields a new Ground Gundam variant called the Ground Gundam Type-S. They do their job well defending the ship from the South Seas Alliance Goufs that attack them.

** The Ground Gundam makes a reappearance here with a specialized squadron appearing equipped with Subarms and extra shields. They're a powerful sub-unit and quite effective in the field.
** The Zabi personal-guard Zakus appear to be this with their ornate armor and role as something of a final defense. In practice, they're easily steamrolled by the Ground Gundams.

** A subtle one: at the start of Bandit Flower, the Solomon command center looks exactly like the one in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam0083StardustMemory''.

** The Zabi personal-guard Zakus appear to be this with their ornate armor and role as something of a final defense. In practice they're easily steamrolled by the Ground Gundams.

* HannibalLecture: Io gives a scathing one to Daryl after [[spoiler: being captured, imprisoned and tortured, making Daryl question what he's done for the sake of the war]].

* LooseCanon: The canon is a bit...odd with this series. The biggest contention is the technology of the Full Armor Gundam and Psycho Zaku are far more advanced than it should be for the One Year War. The creator has implied it's an AlternateUniverse. It's generally considered the events are canon, but the suits are where the alternate universe aspect comes into play.

* MeleeATrois: In the second arc, a third hostile faction, the South Seas Alliance, pops up on both the Federation and Zeon's radar. The Federation wants to suppress the Alliance due to their desire declare themselves indpendent, while Zeon wants to recover the Reuse P Device technology that was stolen from them.

* HellIsThatNoise: {{Invoked}} in the anime: Io proclaims that when enemy pilots hear jazz music, they will not survive. Being a Federation AcePilot, many Zeon soldiers learn to be weary if they hear jazz.

* TooLongDidntDub: In the second arc of the manga, Viz left several terminology untranslated such as the BigBad's title [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sōkan "Sōjo"]] (High Priest) and his faction [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanyang_(region) "Nanyang]](South Seas) Alliance".

* HandicappedBadass: Several members of the Living Dead. Interestingly, [[spoiler:Daryl later has his good arm voluntary amputated, but ends up becoming better in his Psycho-Frame equipped Zaku because of it.]]

** RealRobot: Even more so than in the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam original.]], in a very similar vein to [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamThe08thMSTeam 08th MS Team]].