History YMMV / Gundam

** Fans who subscribe to the DracoInLeatherPants interpretation of the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Principality of Zeon]]. tend to paint TheFederation as tyrannical and cruel, but tend to be rather silent on the fact that the first thing Zeon did after declaring war was to [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything kill an entire space colony with poison gas]], then [[ColonyDrop try to drop it on the Federation's military capital]]. After it failed, the only things that kept them from trying again were attrition and a treaty, and even then the myriad spinoffs show them as willing to use nukes and biological agents.

* BigNameFan: Mark Simmons is undoubtedly the most knowledgeable member of the English-speaking Gundam fandom, and has even done some work for the franchise in helping iron out official translations. He regularly takes part in the fandom, especially in technical discussions, and [[http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/ his website]] is probably the single greatest source for Gundam info in English, including the official English Gundam site.

* DeaderThanDisco: GundamSeed's success would spawn a [[MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny sequel]] and a [[GundamSEEDAstray manga spinoff series]], and even started talks that the CE timeline could become the new UC. However, Destiny didn't work out so well, and a planned movie to wrap up the saga is in DevelopmentHell, making creators and fans give up on the saga and move on to ''{{Gundam 00}}''. Today, if you ask Gundam fans of their opinion of Seed, you will get plenty of LoveItOrHateIt responses, and you certainly won’t find many fans of Destiny.

* HypocriticalFandom: Fans who subscribe to the DracoInLeatherPants interpretation of the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Principality of Zeon]]. tend to paint TheFederation as tyrannical and cruel, but tend to be rather silent on the fact that the first thing Zeon did after declaring war was to [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything kill an entire space colony with poison gas]], then [[ColonyDrop try to drop it on the Federation's military capital]]. After it failed, the only things that kept them from trying again were attrition and a treaty, and even then the myriad spinoffs show them as willing to use nukes and biological agents.

** He's even gotten some nods within the franchise: Mark Simmons is the default name for one of the Create-A-Characters in the video game ''Encounters in Space'', ''GundamSeed'' has a minor character (a mobile suit engineer) named Erica Simmons, and ''G-Saviour'''s main character, Mark Curran, has a sidekick named Simmons.
* BrokenBase: The fandom is generally grouped roughly based on which series brought you into the fandom, though this has died way down since Gundam's heyday in the early 2000s. The original split was between UC purists and [[GundamWing Wingers]], with a smaller faction of [[GundamSeed Seedlings]] arising later. ''{{Gundam 00}}'' was divisive due to its much more SuperRobot-styled Gundams and the FirstContact plot of the movie given that AbsentAliens has long been a hallmark of the franchise. The newest series, ''GundamAGE'', has caused some disagreements over its "kiddie" styling.
* CompleteMonster: Every shows needs at least one super bastard with no redeeming qualities whatsoever, from [[MobileSuitGundam Gihren]] to [[{{Gundam00}} Ali]]. The most popular is undoubtedly [[ZetaGundam Yazan]].

* HypocriticalFandom: Fans who subscribe to the DracoInLeatherPants interpretation of the [[MobileSuitGundam Principality of Zeon]]. tend to paint TheFederation as tyrannical and cruel, but tend to be rather silent on the fact that the first thing Zeon did after declaring war was to [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything kill an entire space colony with poison gas]], then [[ColonyDrop try to drop it on the Federation's military capital]]. After it failed, the only things that kept them from trying again were attrition and a treaty, and even then the myriad spinoffs show them as willing to use nukes and biological agents.

** On the other side, some fans will brand whoever complains about alternate continuities with {{Double Standard}}s. Complaining about Universal Century, however, is totally OK. MobileSuitGundamUnicorn is well-received? Ha! Maybe it's only because it's a Universal Century series! MobileSuitGundam00 is well-received? Of course, it's a really good series! [[NotSoDifferent Yeah]]...[[SarcasmMode they're much more open-minded]].

* MagnificentBastard: Almost every series, from the first ''MobileSuitGundam'' (Char) to ''{{Gundam 00}}'' ([[spoiler:Ribbons Almark before VillainDecay]]) has featured one of these as an antagonist in addition to a CompleteMonster.

* RecycledScript: Quick, which Gundam show am I describing: the main character is a [[ImprobableAge youngster]] who gets embroiled in the war when it shows up on his doorstep, leading to him FallingIntoTheCockpit of a Gundam. He ends up [[ResignedToTheCall reluctantly]] becoming an AcePilot, gaining both a [[TheRival personal enemy]] and a [[DatingCatwoman love interest]] among the enemy, the latter of which dies tragically. Eventually the hero participates in the war's FinalBattle, helping defeat the enemy before [[EarnYourHappyEnding retiring to a less martial life]]. Give up? It's [[spoiler: [[MobileSuitGundam MSG]], [[ZetaGundam Z]], [[GundamZZ ZZ]], [[GundamUnicorn Unicorn]], [[VictoryGundam V]], [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED Seed]] and [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeedDestiny Destiny]] to a lesser extent, and arguably [[Anime/AfterWarGundamX X]] and [[Anime/TurnAGundam Turn A]] as well]]. Whew!
* RootingForTheEmpire: For UC, Zeon has far more vocal fans than the Earth Federation. In CE, just ''mentioning'' it in reference to the Earth Alliance or [=ZAFT=] is likely to cause a FlameWar over who was really the bad guy. Ditto, though to a lesser extent, for ''{{Gundam 00}}''.
* TheyChangedItNowItSucks / ItsTheSameNowItSucks: The series often gets complaints that the Gundams all look way too similar to each other. Yet when they went with going with a ''very'' different design approach in TurnAGundam by bringing in American Syd Mead, it was met with heavy derision from the community.
* TrueArtIsAngsty: ''ZetaGundam'', while having one of the bleakest endings in all Gundam, is generally considered to be one of the best of them all. ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam0080WarInThePocket Gundam 0080]]'' is similarly dark, and similarly exalted. On the other hand, ''TurnAGundam'' is also considered to be among the best, and it's arguably the happiest Gundam series. Ditto for ''CrossboneGundam'' another series that avoids the KillEmAll status Tomino is infamous for. Incidentally, Tomino wrote all three series.

* RecycledScript: Quick, which Gundam show am I describing: the main character is a [[ImprobableAge youngster]] who gets embroiled in the war when it shows up on his doorstep, leading to him FallingIntoTheCockpit of a Gundam. He ends up [[ResignedToTheCall reluctantly]] becoming an AcePilot, gaining both a [[TheRival personal enemy]] and a [[DatingCatwoman love interest]] among the enemy, the latter of which dies tragically. Eventually the hero participates in the war's FinalBattle, helping defeat the enemy before [[EarnYourHappyEnding retiring to a less martial life]]. Give up? It's [[spoiler: [[MobileSuitGundam MSG]], [[ZetaGundam Z]], [[GundamZZ ZZ]], [[GundamUnicorn Unicorn]], [[VictoryGundam V]], [[GundamSEED Seed]] and [[GundamSeedDestiny Destiny]] to a lesser extent, and arguably [[GundamX X]] and [[TurnAGundam Turn A]] as well]]. Whew!

* BrokenBase: The fandom used to be grouped roughly based on which series brought you into the fandom; UC purists and [[GundamWing Wingers]] were the two main groups for a while, with a smaller faction of [[GundamSeed Seedlings]]. This choosing of sides has largely died down, but there's still those that prefer [[YoshiyukiTomino Tomino]]'s KillEmAll style and often depressing endings on one hand, and those that enjoy flashier, more idealistic, action-heavy shows on the other. The newest divide is over ''{{Gundam 00}}'', whose Gundams are much more SuperRobot-styled than previous incarnations, and the movie introduced [[FirstContact aliens]], which is contentious given that a lot of Gundam fans have long considered AbsentAliens a hallmark of the franchise.

* BrokenBase: The fandom used to be grouped roughly based on which series brought you into the fandom; UC purists and [[GundamWing Wingers]] were the two main groups for a while, with a smaller faction of [[GundamSeed Seedlings]]. This choosing of sides has largely died down, but there's still those that prefer [[YoshiyukiTomino Tomino]]'s KillEmAll style and often depressing endings on one hand, and those that enjoy flashier, less serious, action-heavy shows on the other. The newest divide is over ''{{Gundam 00}}'', whose Gundams are much more SuperRobot-styled than previous incarnations, and the movie introduced [[FirstContact aliens]], which is contentious given that a lot of Gundam fans have long considered AbsentAliens a hallmark of the franchise.

* CrackIsCheaper: Between the TV series, the [=OVAs=], and the movies, that's a lot of cash for [=DVDs=]. And that's without even getting into the manga, the video games, or the model kits. Also keep in mind that a lot of things are out of print, making things more expensive.

* TrueArtIsAngsty: ''ZetaGundam'', while having one of the bleakest endings in all Gundam, is generally considered to be one of the best of them all. ''{{Gundam 0080}}'' is similarly dark, and similarly exalted. On the other hand, ''TurnAGundam'' is also considered to be among the best, and it's arguably the happiest Gundam series. Ditto for ''CrossboneGundam'' another series that avoids the KillEmAll status Tomino is infamous for. Incidentally, Tomino wrote all three series.

* FridgeHorror: [[http://www.cracked.com/funny-4931-giant-robots/ This Cracked article]] invoke it with the 1:1 scale model. Sure, the thing can only move its head, but isn't Gundam ''armed with 60 mm head vulcan guns''?

* {{Narm}}: Gundam is not known for being subtle about... well, anything, really, and Narm is frequently the result. It [[{{Narm/Gundam}} has its own examples page]]! Thankfully, it usually leans toward NarmCharm. Usually.
* RecycledInSpace: Gundam has many shades of this.
** MobileSuitGundam is WorldWarII in space!
** GGundam is StreetFighter with mechas!
** GundamX is MadMax with mechas, too!
** GundamSeed is the Eugenics Wars of StarTrek getting worse!
** GundamUnicorn is TheDaVinciCode, only with mechas!

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks / ItsTheSameNowItSucks: The series often gets complaints that the Gundams all look way too similar to each other. Yet when they went with going with a ''very'' different design approach in TurnAGundam by bringing in American Syd Mead, [[UnpleasableFanbase it was met with heavy derision from the community]].

** On the other side, some fans will brand whoever complains about alternate continuities with {{Double Standard}}s. Complaining about Universal Century, however, is totally OK. MobileSuitGundamUnicorn is well-received? Ha! Maybe it's only because it's a Universal Century series! MobileSuitGundam00 is well-received? Of cause, it's a really good series! [[NotSoDifferent Yeah]]...[[SarcasmMode they're much more open-minded]].

** On other side, some fans will brand whoever complain about alternate continuity with DoubleStandard. Complaining about Universal Century, however, is totally OK. MobileSuitGundamUnicorn is well-received? Ha! Maybe it's only because it's Universal Century series! MobileSuitGundam00 is well-received? Of cause, it's really good series! [[NotSoDifferent Yeah]]...[[SarcasmMode they're much more open-mind]].

* FridgeHorror: [[http://www.cracked.com/funny-4931-giant-robots/ This Cracked article]] invoke it with the 1:1 scale model. Sure, the thing can only move its head, but isn't Gundam ''armed with 60 mm head vulcan gun''?

* FridgeHorror: [http://www.cracked.com/funny-4931-giant-robots/ This Cracked article] invoke it with the 1:1 scale model. Sure, the thing can only move its head, but isn't Gundam ''armed with 60 mm head vulcan gun''?

** Also, some fans will rage against one continuity for having newtype ripoffs, or char clones, overly simplistic messages and what have you, and yet will turn a blind eye to it when such themes are re-used ad-verbatim in the original Universal Century timeline.

* CompleteMonster: Every shows needs at least one super bastard with no redeeming qualities whatsoever, from [[MobileSuitGundam M'Quve]] to [[{{Gundam00}} Ali]]. The most popular is undoubtedly [[ZetaGundam Yazan]].

* FanDumb: And how. The fandom used to be grouped roughly based on which series brought you into the fandom; UC purists and [[GundamWing Wingers]] were the two main groups for a while, with a smaller faction of [[GundamSeed Seedlings]]. This choosing of sides has largely died down, but there's still those that prefer [[YoshiyukiTomino Tomino]]'s KillEmAll style and often depressing endings on one hand, and those that enjoy flashier, less serious, action-heavy shows on the other. The newest divide is over ''{{Gundam 00}}'', whose Gundams are much more SuperRobot-styled than previous incarnations, and the movie introduced [[FirstContact aliens]], which is contentious given that a lot of Gundam fans have long considered AbsentAliens a hallmark of the franchise.

** GundamUnicorn is TheVinciCode, only with mechas!

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: In Japan, ''GundamWing'' was a flop and written off by Japanese fans as a non-canon, mid-nineties oddity. In the United States, however, [[KillerApp it was superhit]] that brought CartoonNetwork some of the biggest ratings they have ever seen to this day. ''[[GundamWing Wing]]'' also triggered a boom in popularity for {{Anime}} as a whole in America.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: In Japan, ''GundamWing'' was a flop and written off as a non-canon mid-nineties oddity. In the United States, however, [[KillerApp it was superhit]] that brought CartoonNetwork some of the biggest ratings they have ever seen to this day. ''[[GundamWing Wing]]'' also triggered a boom in popularity for {{Anime}} as a whole in America.

* RecycledScript: The UC television series are particularly guilty of this. Quick, which Gundam show am I describing: the main character is a [[ImprobableAge youngster]] who gets embroiled in the war when it shows up on his doorstep, leading to him FallingIntoTheCockpit of a Gundam. He ends up [[ResignedToTheCall reluctantly]] becoming an AcePilot, gaining both a [[TheRival personal enemy]] and a [[DatingCatwoman love interest]] among the enemy, the latter of which dies tragically. Eventually the hero participates in the war's FinalBattle, helping defeat the enemy before [[EarnYourHappyEnding retiring to a less martial life]]. Give up? It's [[spoiler: [[MobileSuitGundam MSG]], [[ZetaGundam Z]], [[GundamZZ ZZ]], [[GundamUnicorn Unicorn]], [[VictoryGundam V]], [[GundamSEED Seed]] and [[GundamSeedDestiny Destiny]] to a lesser extent, and arguably [[GundamX X]] and [[TurnAGundam Turn A]] as well]]. Whew!