Line #9 Trivia/Gundam


1	* AnimeFirst: Most ''Gundam'' animated work has been anime first, with the exceptions of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack'', ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn'' and ''Literature/MobileSuitGundamHathawaysFlash'', which were based on novels; and ''Manga/MobileSuitGundamThunderbolt'', which was based on a manga. The success of the latter two has lead to Bandai considering animating other popular manga/novel works in the franchise.
2	* CashCowFranchise: Ever notice all those model kits? There's a reason for that.
3	* ExecutiveMeddling: Part of the reason the franchise failed to gain traction after the success of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'' on Toonami. Sunrise chose to start back at the beginning of Universal Century with ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'', but the dated animation wasn't eye-catching and despite being a classic the original show felt backwards compared to the premise and themes of ''Wing''. ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam'' came next, which was better received, but Bandai lost favor from toy stores as they forced them to stock merchandise that nobody wanted. By the time ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'' rolled around, it has neither hype or driving force from merchandise to back it up, so it was shoved into a FridayNightDeathSlot. Many fans hold the opinion that, had Sunrise exported ''[[Anime/AfterWarGundamX Gundam X]]'' rather than the One Year War series, ''Gundam'' might have actually hung on longer. Likewise, a stronger foundation using the modern alternate continuity shows may have helped every UC work get a proper English dub, rather than just the first series and a few of the movies.
4	* FountainOfExpies: Char Aznable has been so oft-imitated, both in the ''Gundam'' franchise itself and in other shows, [[CharClone as to warrant its own trope]].
5	* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: Since most of the franchise was distributed in the U.S. by Creator/BandaiEntertainment, it and a whole other plethora of shows fell into this when Bandai ceased production. Fortunately, Creator/{{Sunrise}} has offered to sell their Bandai-licensed shows (including ''Gundam'') to other distributers, starting with ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn'' and continuing to the others in 2015. (Most of the franchise is now being distributed by Creator/NozomiEntertainment).
6	* MarthDebutedInSmashBros:
7	** Given how many series have not been released outside of Japan, most western audiences were introduced to ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ'', ''Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam'', ''Anime/AfterWarGundamX'', ''Anime/TurnAGundam'', and ([[{{Expy}} Real-Grade mechs based on]]) [[Toys/SDSengokudenMushaShichininShuHen Musha Gundam]] and [[Anime/SDGundamGaiden Knight Gundam]] through ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriorsGundam''.
8	** Likewise, many fans introduced to the series by the newer entries met the resident CharClone before learning of the original character. For instance, as ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'' was the first series exported to the West, many American fans were more familiar with Zechs Marquise. This was so prevalent that the best way to identify "newcomers" is whether they mistake Char cosplayers for Zechs.
9	* MilestoneCelebration:
10	** In 1999, in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the franchise, Sunrise both brought Creator/YoshiyukiTomino back to direct a ''Gundam'' series (''Anime/TurnAGundam'') and commissioned a live-action ''Gundam'' movie (''Film/GSaviour'').
11	** In 2009, in recognition of the 30th anniversary, Sunrise released a short video called "''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2M53lQ3bEE Gundam Perfect Mission]]''", showcasing many of the franchise's most famous Gundams working together to get the original Gundam's core fighter into orbit. A 1:1 scale Gundam model was also built in Japan, and remained on display outside the Gundam Museum in Odaiba until 2017 (when it was replaced by a 1:1 scale of the Unicorn Gundam).
12	** In a gaming example specifically, 2017 marked the 30th anniversary of Gundam video games, with ''Zeta Gundam: Hot Scramble'' for the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem Famicom]] being credited as the first ([[CommonKnowledge It isn't, but that's another story]]). To celebrate this, Bandai created the Hot Scramble Gundam (based off of the Zeta-inspired Scramble Gundam from ''Anime/GundamBuildFightersTry Island Wars'' and piloted by Meijin Kawaguchi III) and included it in several ''Gundam'' games released in 2017, including ''VideoGame/SDGundamGGeneration Genesis'' and ''[[VideoGame/GundamVsSeries Gundam Versus]]''.
13	* NoExportForYou:
14	** For a long time, Bandai showed no interest in exporting several major ''Gundam'' productions to America. In 2015, however, Nozomi Entertainment and distributor Rightstuf worked out an arrangement and have since released every animated ''Gundam'' production up to ''Build Fighters Try'' (''Iron Blooded Orphans'' is licensed by Funimation, who are taking care of the US release of that series themselves).
15	** For a long time, ''Gundam'' Video Games have had a struggle with releasing overseas as well, with ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriorsGundam'' being one of the few notable major series that is available in English. However, ''Gundam Breaker 3'' is available subtitled in English (from Singapore) and starting in 2017 with ''[[VideoGame/GundamVsSeries Gundam Versus]]'', new games were given a western release including ''VideoGame/NewGundamBreaker'', ''VideoGame/GundamBattleGunplaWarfare'', a Steam release of ''VideoGame/SDGundamGGeneration Cross Rays'', and ''Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme VS Maxi Boost ON'' (albeit download only in the west).
16	* RecycledScript: Quick, which ''Gundam'' show is being described: 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:[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam the original series]], ''[[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Zeta]]'', ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ ZZ]]'', ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn Unicorn]]'', ''[[Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam Victory]]'', ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED SEED]]'' and ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeedDestiny SEED Destiny]]'' to a lesser extent, and arguably ''[[Anime/AfterWarGundamX X]]'' and ''[[Anime/TurnAGundam Turn A]]'' as well]]. Whew!
17	* ScrewedByTheNetwork: Numerous examples, both in Japan and abroad. ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' was cut from a planned 52 episodes to only 39, and the staff had to beg to get an extension up to 43 in order to wrap up the series; ''[[Anime/AfterWarGundamX Gundam X]]'' was left to rot in a FridayNightDeathSlot and eventually cut from 49 to 39 episodes.
18	* StarMakingRole: Many voice actors' careers were launched by starring as the lead in many ''Gundam'' series, starting with Creator/ToruFuruya as Amuro Ray. Some even debuted as the protagonist from the start. The same goes with the CharClone[=s=] starting with the original, Creator/ShuichiIkeda. Similarly, many supporting actors got famous for voicing an important or memorable character in a ''Gundam'' series even if they are not the protagonist.
19	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
20	** As noted under ExecutiveMeddling, Sunrise chose to follow ''Gundam Wing'' with the original 0079. Creator/{{Toonami}}, who aired ''Wing'', had approached them for another Gundam series after ''Wing'' finished it's run, and had their eyes on the aforementioned ''X'' and ''Anime/TurnAGundam'' - had Sunrise said yes, not only would those series have gotten dubs, but it's likely that the ''Gundam'' Boom would have stayed on longer. What makes this example particularly weird is that later, Sunrise let Toonami air the aforementioned ''G Gundam'' - one can't help but wonder why Sunrise didn't just let them air ''G'' first.
21	** The original name for the robots was "Gundom," a portmanteau of the words "gun" and "freedom." However, Yoshiyuki Tomino changed the name to "Gundam" to evoke the idea of the robots being used like a dam to hold back enemies.
22	** The series was also meant to have a live action adaptation well before ''Film/GSaviour''. It was also supposed to have designs by Syd Mead. The said show however never happened, though Syd Mead was famously brought back for ''Anime/TurnAGundam''.

Context Trivia / Gundam