Mobile Fighter G Gundam
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| Mobile Fighter G Gundam | |
|---|---|
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| 機動武闘伝Ｇガンダム (Mobile Fighting Legend G Gundam) |
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| Genre | Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Martial Arts, Mecha, Romance, Science Fiction |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Yasuhiro Imagawa |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Network | Animax, TV Asahi |
| Original run | April 1, 1994 – March 31, 1995 |
| No. of episodes | 49 |
| Manga | |
| Authored by | |
| Publisher | |
| Serialized in | |
| Original run | – |
| No. of volumes | |
Mobile Fighter G Gundam (機動武闘伝Gガンダム Kidō Butōden G Gandamu?), or G Gundam, is an anime series set in the Future Century timeline of the Gundam metaseries.
After Mobile Suit Victory Gundam finished airing in Japan in early 1994, Bandai commemorated Gundam's 15th anniversary by trying something new: developing the franchise outside the continuity of the Universal Century. Thus, the alternative worlds were born that are the settings for every TV series following Victory Gundam.
Premiering in 1994, Mobile Fighter G Gundam was the first of the alternative Gundam Universe series that would be unrelated to the Universal Century Gundam series. Directed by Giant Robo's Yasuhiro Imagawa, this series took a different approach to the Gundam saga. Rather than having a war between the colonies and the Earth, a fighting tournament is held. This is called the Gundam Fight, it is held once every four years by the United Colonies Federation. Each country would send its own representative, that would pilot a Gundam, and the Gundams would then fight on the Earth until only one is left, and that Gundam's nation will then be able to obtain sovereign rights over all the nations, until another nation wins in the next Gundam Fight. This series is set in Future Century (FC) 60, during the 13th Gundam Fight and it focuses on the Neo Japan Gundam Fighter Domon Kasshu, who is in the fight as much to win as well as fulfill his own mission of tracking down his brother who had stolen a mysterious Gundam; the Dark Gundam from the Neo-Japan government.
This series would also be controversial, as detractors criticize G Gundam as either an ugly parody of the Gundam world or a thinly disguised take on the Street Fighter/Dragon Ball Z trend with the Gundam name. There is a following of G Gundam fans who liked its out of worldliness and willingness to play up exaggerated national stereotypes for comedic effect.
The TV show did not achieve high ratings in Japan. However, its model sales were strong, and Bandai has deemed the show a success. Also, after the inclusion of G Gundam in the Super Robot Wars games, it became very popular.
The G Gundam manga is published in English by TOKYOPOP, and the anime was licensed by Bandai Entertainment.
Contents |
[edit] Characters
[edit] Main characters
- Domon Kasshu: The main character of the series. The Pilot of the Shining Gundam and later the God Gundam (Burning Gundam in the American versions). He spent ten years training under Master Asia (Pilot of Master Gundam) aka Touho Fuhai (Undefeated of the East or Invincible East). He is also the new King of Hearts and leader of the Shuffle Alliance. He is on a mission to find his evil brother Kyoji who has stolen the Devil Gundam (Dark Gundam in the American version) and to free his father who was placed in cryogenic suspension (Due to his involvement with the Devil Gundam). This is why he agreed to represent Neo-Japan in the Thirteenth Gundam fight. Rash and impulsive, Domon is willing to do what it takes to complete his mission and sometimes he is so hotheaded he takes it out on his partner Rain Mikamura; however, he's also very psychologically-dependent of her, proven by the fact that the mere possibility of losing Rain makes him go either ballistic or lost. He had trouble accepting the fact that his martial arts teacher, Master Asia, was on the side of the Devil Gundam but got over it. With the help of his surrogate teacher Schwarz Bruder, he became a much better fighter. At the end of the series he learns the truth about both the Dark Gundam incident and why Master Asia sided with the Devil Gundam.
- Chibodee Crocket: Pilot of the Gundam Maxter and represenitive of Neo America. His fighting style is Boxing. In a stereotype on the classic American rags to riches story, Chibodee grew up on the streets after he was orphaned at the young age. This is when he lost his mother to some terrorists, who were disguised as circus clowns that demanded their tickets to the Neo-American colony. Since that time Chibodee has been afraid of clowns and his skills as a boxer got him noticed and he was invited to the Colony. He wants to win the Thirteenth Gundam fight to fulfil his dream of how someone who grew up on the streets was able to win the Gundam Fight. Later on he became the Shuffle Alliance's new Queen of Spades and has a personal grudge against Domon Kasshu after Chibodee was defeated by him in his hometown. Chibodee Crocket also doesn't get along that well with fellow Gundam Fighter/Shuffle Alliance member, George De Sand who is in a sense his opposite. Though they're good teammates and friends, they both grew up in different financial classes and fight for different, pride based, reasons. Chibodee fights for his own pride and George fights for the pride of his nation. His crew are four ladies, Shirley, Janet, Bunny, and Cath, which is all the "protection" he needs.
- George de Sand: Pilot of the Gundam Rose and represenitive of Neo-France. George's fighting style is fencing. George considers himself a knight and fights for the pride of his nation. George grew up in a rich and noble family that is loyal to Neo-France and the De Sand family is one of the few families to remain on earth. George's only fear is his involvement in the Marseilles Tragedy. This is where he was in a competition which would decide who Neo-France's representative would be. His opponent Jean Pierre Mirabeau was disqualified for his dirty tactics and Mirabeau tried to kill the king in anger. George attempted to stop Mirabeau, but Mirabeau's missile was redirected at the crowd. George later became the new Jack of Diamonds for the Shuffle Alliance and got a chance to face Mirabeau again, afterwards he got over his fear. At one point, by stealing Gundam Rose from its hangar, he risked his Gundam Fighter position and the honor of his family, when the King refused for him to fight Domon Kasshu in the finals. But later after seeing the match the King admitted he was wrong for his earlier decision and agreed to overlook the theft. He also has little regard for ruffians and didn't like Domon at first when he interrupted a match, and he doesn't get along well with Chibodee Crocket. His crew is his butler Raymond Bishop and he is adored by Maria Louise, the tomboyish Princess of Neo-France.
- Sai Saici: Pilot of the Dragon Gundam and representative of Neo-China. His fighting style is Shaolin Style Martial Arts and is the youngest Gundam Fighter at 15 years old. When the colonies were formed most of the Shaolin followers defected to the colonies Chikurn temples. Sai Saichi's mission is to win the Gundam fight and convince the Neo-China government to resurrect the Shaolin Temple. His grandfather participated in the Fourth Gundam fight, and his father was stricken with a terminal illness. Now it is Sai Saici's turn to try to revive the Shaolin temple. When Domon first met him he was accused of attacking Neo-China, but it turned out he was separated from his Gundam and used Domon to help get it back. Later on he became the new Ace of Clubs (Club Ace in Japan) for the Shuffle Alliance. In the finals he met a girl (Cecile) to whom he becomes smitten with, but it turned out she is the sister of his upcoming opponent; they had to part ways, though promising to meet again later. One thing he has in common with Domon and fellow Gundam Fighter/Shuffle Alliance member, Argo Gulskii is that he is also fighting for something other than himself. His crew are two elderly Shaolin Monks, Zuisen and Keiun who are also dedicated in the mission although they can be overprotective to Sai Saici. His Shin Ryuusei Kochouken (真・流星胡蝶剣, True Comet Butterfly Fist in English) technique was named from a Gu Long's novel.
- Argo Gulskii: Pilot of the Bolt Gundam and Represenitive of Neo-Russia. Argo uses grappling style wrestling moves and unlike many of his fellow Gundam Fighters, he doesn't rely on special techniques. At one time he was a Space Pirate Captain, although he was a criminal he valued life and never killed anyone. He was caught and was forced to become Neo-Russia's Gundam Fighter to ensure his crew's safety and had a bomb placed on his chest so he can't get out of line. When he first met Domon, Neo-Russia's tactic was to lure in Gundam Fighters and arrest them so they don't have to fight. Argo was deeply disgusted by this tactic and staged an escape to fight Domon. He later becomes the new Black Joker for the Shuffle Alliance and is older than the other new members. One fighter who has a personal grudge against him is Neo-Canada's Andrew Graham who blames him for his wife's death, although it was only an accident. Near the end of the tournament finals, Graham finally realizes that Argo tried to save his wife. Graham in the end took a blow that was meant for Argo. His crew is his warden, Nastasha Zabigov, who was assigned to watch him after Neo-Russia was forced to change their tactics. Nastasha does care for Argo though and at the end of the series she de-activates the bomb so Argo can fight without holding himself back.
- Schwarz Bruder: Pilot of the Gundam Spiegel (Shadow Gundam in the American version), and Neo Germany's Gundam Fighter. Schwarz is G Gundam's masked-man, similar to Char Aznable from the original series. He is a master of "German ninjutsu", and proves that he can dish it out by not only defeating Domon on numerous occasions, but also holding back Master Asia. Schwarz's origins were a mystery, as was his similarity to Domon's brother Kyoji, until the final battle before the Battle Royal at Lantou Island. After Domon finally beat Schwarz, it was revealed that he was, in fact, Kyoji all along! Or rather, his shadow. Schwarz revealed to Rain Mikamura the truth about the Devil Gundam, as well as her father and Ulube, and that Kyoji, in his last act of free will, infused the real Schwarz Bruder the Devil Gundam slew, with DG Cells, and made him an exact double of Kyoji (albeit with machinery for his physiology, and with incredible ninja abilities acquired from the original Schwarz), solely to help guide Domon. Schwarz met his end when he sacrificed his life to allow Domon to kill him and the real Kyoji in order to stop the Devil Gundam. Schwarz had many ninja abilities, including camouflaging, stealth, invisibility, disguising himself as other people, rising from people's shadows, and the water, walking through walls, incredibly high jumps and lightning-quick attacks, to just randomly and spontaneously pop-up at will, and to do all this and represent Neo Germany on live television without his country's government noticing until he was beaten just before the Battle Royale. His ultimate attack is Sturm Und Drang (Storm and Impulse, name taken from a German cultural and philosophical movement from the late 1700's), where he spins Spiegel around like a top, blades extended, and smashes into his enemy over and over again.
- Master Asia: (aka Tohofuhai/Undefeated of the East) Domon's mentor and winner of the previous Gundam Fight, Master Asia appears during Domon's visit to Neo Japan, when he destroys a Death Army robot using just a cloth. Master Asia was the previous King of Hearts before Domon took over that title. Domon and Master Asia combine their strengths to fight the oncoming Death Army, in the Gundam he used to win the previous Gundam Fight, Kowloon Gundam. After revealing his alliance with the Devil Gundam, he reveals his new Gundam, Master Gundam. Representing Neo Hong Kong, Master Asia does not join the Gundam Fight until the final round, as par the ruling of the Chairman Of All Space, Wong Yun Fat. Domon vows upon hearing this to make it to the final round undefeated, so he can take Master Asia's title away from him. It was at this time that Master Asia decided to have Domon fight against the strongest opponents during the final matches of the tournament. It is also around this time Master Asia is stricken with a terminal illness. Master Asia also trained Domon in martial arts. Despite his allegiance to the Devil Gundam, Master Asia still retains his honor as a fighter and it later put him at odds with Wong, because Wong would use dirty tricks to win a match. It is not until his battle against Domon in the final round that Master Asia revealed the real reason why he chose to side with the Devil Gundam. Tohofuhai (東方不敗) is a reference to the Dongfang Bubai character in Jinyong's The Smiling, Proud Wanderer novel.
[edit] Supporting Characters
- Rain Mikamura: Domon's partner, she secretly and gradually falls in love with Domon, as she was his childhood friend. In G Gundam, she is his crew member for the Thirteenth Gundam Fight, and boasts many talents. She is a renowned engineer and tactician, a decent sharpshooter and a skilled medic/doctor. In some ways, she can even pilot a Gundam herself (she's one of the few non-Gundam Fighters able to put on a fighting suit despite the huge pain that the process brings to a non-trained body) and manage to use the Mobile trace system. Determined, she manages to put up with a brash Domon throughout the series enough so she can win his undying love, in a sense. However, things start to change between them when she learns the truth from Schwarz about her father's involvement in the Devil Gundam incident. After that, however, she decides to go back to Neo Japan, and ends up kidnapped and forcefully placed in the cockpit of the Devil Gundam by her former boss, Major Ulube. Only by the joint efforts of Domon, the other Shuffle Alliance members and their crew, as well as Allenby, and many other Gundam Fighters, was she freed. She also piloted the Shining Gundam on two occasions and later piloted the Rising Gundam during the Battle Royale.
- Allenby Beardsley: Neo Sweden's Gundam fighter - and the only confirmed female Gundam Fighter (Vega Walasea of Neo Poland is rumored to be female, but no personification of this name ever appeared, so this is open to debate) as well. Allenby is a seventeen-year-old orphan who was taken in by the Swedish government at a young age - against her will. She was then trained by the military to become the "perfect" Gundam fighter with the help of a 'Berserker System' that turned her into an uncontrollable instrument of destruction, raising her strength by 120%. Then she meets Domon in a gaming arcade where she beats everyone, but ties with Domon's caliber. Domon is also the one to free her from the control of the Beserker system. She pilots Nobel Gundam of Neo-Sweden (Its name had a minor change to Noble Gundam in the English Versions), and becomes Domon's close friend, and even develops a 'crush' on him; all to the great distress and silent jealousy of Rain Mikamura. She's later kidnapped, brainwashed (via DG Cells) and used by Wong in the Battle Royale against Domon, but Rain and Dr. Mikamura manage to stop her and save her; she then joined the final battle and was decisive in rescuing Rain.
- Princess Maria Louise: The 14-year-old daughter of the current ruler of Neo France, Maria Louise is a tomboy at heart (Raymond remarked how, despite her personal charm, she's not exactly the typical quiet and sweet princess) and is smitten with her country's Gundam Fighter, George de Sand. When George initially refuses a match with Domon Kasshu, the spoiled and willful Maria stages her own kidnapping with Domon's help in order to get George to consent to a match. Both get their wishes and George reveals that he knew it was staged the whole time. She was sent back to the Neo-France colony by her father as punishment for the incident, but later showed up during the finals. She eventually matures enough to help the Shuffles along in their quest to destroy the Devil Gundam. When Maria Louise witnessed the undead Chapman murder a Neo-England official, she and the other members of the Neo-France team were held at gunpoint when Michelo deactivated the part of the barrier that protected them from Chapman during his match against George and all of them were ordered to stay put or the rest of the barrier would be shut down. George was forced to protect them while Domon, Rain, and Allenby went to fix the barrier system. It was close but they were narrowly able to reactive that part of the barrier in time. It is notable here that it was Maria that maintained a calm face during the crises despite her young age. Maria Louise then identified Wong as the other man in the murder by recognizing his ring, but was told by her father to forget the whole thing due to Wong's position. Maria Louise later not only helped in standing up to her father's selfish decision of not having George fight against Domon in the finals, but also aid the other support crews in breaking down an energy barrier in order to allow Rain and Schwartz through to deliver the truth to Domon Kasshu during the Battle Royale (due to her small size, she was the only one able to reach for the control of the barrier). She even used a gun turret to back the Shuffle Alliance up during a final fight against the Devil Gundam.
- Raymond Bishop: He serves as the butler to Neo-France's Gundam Fighter George de Sand, who has been with de Sand family for a very long time and was George's caretaker and fencing teacher. Although he doesn't have as big of a role as the other support crews, he has one occasion where he aided Domon and Rain with information on Georges recent fight after his experience with the Devil Gundam and how his mental state has changed for the worse. Raymond was able to explain to them about how Georges mental state is caused by his fear from the Marseilles tragedy and how Raymond is willing to risk his career to see that George's mental state is returned to normal. George catches him in the act and fires him, but later rehires him after Raymond helps save George from his old enemy, Jean-Pirre Mirabeau. He pilots his custom NEL-75C Butler mobile suit mainly for training with George when he is in Gundam Rose. Although it was ruined during the battle against Mirabeau, the Butler was repaired and was later used to retrieve Dr. Kasshu's space capsule at the end of series and Raymond later sat next to Maria Louise in the gun turret that was next to her during the attack against the Devil Gundam colony.
- The Chibodee Gals: Chibodee Crockett's support crew and cheerleading squad. They were all formerly streetgang members that stowed away on a colonist ship. Their names are Shirly Lane, Janet Smith, Cath Ronary, and Bunny Higgens. Since it was Chibodee who rescued them from certain legal trouble for stowing away on a colony transport ship, they agreed to help in any way they can, even if its less than legal, such as when Chibodee was a mental catastrophe after their first encounter with the Devil Gundam: they went to the Guyana Highlands to steal the data on the Shining Gundam in order to encourage Chibodee to train. They, along with all the other respective Shuffle Member's crews, backed up the Shuffle Alliance in Argo's pirate ship during the final fight against the Devil Gundam.
- Nastasha Zabigov: Argo Gulskii's intimidating prison warden, she over sees all Neo Russian matters in the Gundam fight. Even though she is easily half his size, she manages to look far more threatening. Cold, calculating, and ruthless, Nastasha will use any means to secure victory. This may make one jump to call her a villain, though this is not the case. She frequently supplies help, even to other nations, pulling favors from the top brass to do so. Eventually she begins to warm up to her glowering prisoner and shares an equal disgust towards Neo-Russia, after they show they have little faith in them by not only using holographic images of Argo's crew, but also sending Argo's pirate crew to Earth and flying them by during the Finals, in order to remind Argo and Nastasha about winning the Gundam Fight (The ship was later used to send Nastasha, the other Shuffle Alliance members and their crew to aid Domon at the end of the series). This makes Nastasha a potential romance for Argo, as she breaks the law and becomes a pirate for him at the end of the series, by deactivating Argo's handcuffs and disarming the bomb on his chest. She's also an occasional source for male fanservice, bathing nude in a river in the Guyana Highlands and later wearing a sexy Chinese dress prior to the Argo's match against Domon in the finals.
- Zuizen and Keiun: Neo China's support crew and surrogant guardians to the youngest Gundam fighter ever, Sai Saici. They are serious and spend most of their energy and time keeping the high spirited Sai Saici out of trouble. They are excellent martial artists and in desperation, once kidnapped Rain Mikamura in order to get Domon to defeat an impostor Sai Saici. Another time was after Sai Saici refused to train after their first encounter with the Devil Gundam, so they were planning to use Argo Gulskii to fight Sai Saici in order to help goad Sai Saici back into training by having him fight a strong opponent. They are often comic relief like their ward, and are old friends of Sai Saici's late father. Before he died, they promised to raise his son to revive the Shaolin Temple, a task that both they and Sai Saici take very seriously.
- Wong Yunfat: The Prime Minister of Neo Hong Kong, Wong is the current leader of the human world. He has no intention of giving up his power and is devising schemes behind the scenes to retain that power. He is in league with Master Asia and even enlisted such disqualified fighters as Gentle Chapman and Michelo Chariot. He has a fascination with Gundam Fighter Allenby Beardsley and uses her as a puppet later on in his schemes. He desires to beat down Domon's constant boastings by rigging his matches and pitting him against tough opponents with the circumstances stacked against him. He is a smooth talking, sophisticated man with no fighting abilities himself but uses his mind to get himself out of a sticky situation. Like Michelo Chariot, Wong Yunfat seems unfazed by the suffering of others and uses any means to secure what he wants. Wong also did some research on the Devil Gundam and he found a few interesting details, which was summarized in a report that would later fall in the hands of Neo-Japan's Major Ulube.
- Gentle Chapman: A veteran of many Gundam fights and despite Master Asia's boastings, it is actually Gentle Chapman with the greatest fighting experience in the Thirteenth tournament, with twenty years of gundam fighting under his belt. He won three consecutive Gundam fights for Neo England with the Britain Gundam before being defeated in the Twelfth gundam fight by Master Asia. His aristocratic solider nature as well as his sportsmanship have been an inspiration to Gundam fighters everywhere. However, the Chapman of today is a mere shadow of himself. In order to remain a shining hero to the people, armed with his new Gundam, John Bull Gundam (Which was renamed to Royal Gundam in the dub) he has become addicted to stimulants and resorts to cheating tactics with the help of his devoted wife, Manon. Despite these cheating ways, he still speaks of the ugly truths of life and what it really means to be a fighter. He is later killed due to a drug overdose from taking too many stimulants during his match against Domon Kasshu. Eventually, he is resurrected with DG cells as a shell of a man, no longer talking and obeying every spoken word of the ones who revived him.
- Michelo Chariot: An emotionally unstable and possibly bipolar Gundam fighter for Neo Italy and pilot of Neros Gundam, Michelo Chariot is ruthless and persistent in his goals. Unlike most other Gundam fighters, Michelo cares little for rules and sportsmanship. This might be because he was raised on Earth, where contempt for the colonies and the Gundam fight is high. He is also a mafia boss situated in the tattered remains of Rome, Neo Italy and uses his influence as both gangster and Gundam fighter to do whatever he wants (as a Gundam fighter can't be charged for crimes involving destruction of property on Earth). He was chosen by his home nation to represent them purely because of his fighting prowess and the Gundam they built suited him so well, though there were rumors that he had bribed the officials in charge of Neo Italy's participation in the gundam fight. He was the first victim to the Shining Finger and lost to Domon Kasshu, causing him expulsion from the Gundam fight and this sparked an intense, severe hatred for the Japanese man and he swore to get even, even at the expense of his humanity. He was eventually recruited by Wong YunFat and Master Asia as a pawn, to which Michelo either was unaware or apathetic to. He doesn't seem to get along with Master Asia very well, preferring to take orders from Wong.
- Ulube Ishikawa: A major in Neo-Japan's military and former Gundam Fighter from the Twelfth Gundam fight. He first led the siege against Kyoji Kasshu and the Devil Gundam. After Kyoji escaped he then led the mobile suit team against the Devil Gundam and not only was the only survivor, but Ulube also received a bad scar which forced him to place a metal plate on his face. Later after recovering Dr. Kasshu's research notes it was determined by Dr. Mikamura that the Devil Gundam would resurface during the Thirteenth Gundam Fight. Using Dr. Kasshu's son, Domon, and Dr. Mikamura's daughter, Rain (much to Mikamura's protests), they would track down the Devil Gundam and destroy it by using the Gundam Fight as a cover. Throughout most of the series, he was thought to be a good-natured, if taciturn man, showing sympathy toward Domon and pulling favors for him. But near the end of the series it was revealed that Ulube and Mikamura were the original conspirators that were behind the Devil Gundam Incident. The two of them falsified the data to make it look like that Kyoji was behind the incident to cover up their actual involvement and placed Dr. Kasshu in Cryogenic suspension under the false charge of being an accomplice to the Devil Gundam in order to keep him silent. Unlike his partner Mikamura, Ulube has no remorse towards the incident and still plots to continue his selfish work through any means necessary, which included using Rain as his pawn by having her become the Devil Gundam's new life core unit. In the end, the Devil Gundam overwhelms Ulube and he completely loses his mind (and body) to the Devil Gundam. Ulube fought the Shuffle Alliance in the Grand Master Gundam and was able to outmatch them, until Ulube was killed when the Shuffle Alliance combined their energy to use a team attack (Bakunetsu Shuffle Doumei Ken, known as Erupting Shuffle Alliance Attack in the dub) to destroy Grand Master Gundam.
- Dr. Mikamura: Other than being a close friend to Dr. Kasshu, he is also Rain's father and is also known as the original developer of the Shining Gundam. He deeply expresses that Domon defeat his evil brother Kyoji and win the Gundam Fight so Dr. Kasshu can be freed from Cryogenic suspension. But near the end of the series it was revealed that Dr. Mikamura alongside Major Ulube were the original conspirators behind the incident. Back when the Devil Gundam was known as the Ultimate Gundam, Dr. Mikamura became jealous over his best friends accomplishments, which later turned to hatred after Dr. Kasshu pointed out the faults in the Shining Gundam. After Schwarz was unmasked Mikamura went to the hospital at the request of Neo-Germany to examine the machinery found in Schwarz's body and tried to kill Schwarz to cover up his knowledge of the truth of the Devil Gundam Incident. He was unaware that Rain was in the room at the time, who was very upset at her father when she revealed herself. After Rain defeats a DG Cell contaminated Allenby, Mikamura reveals to her that he can save Allenby and is now going to turn himself in for his crimes. But after Ulube reveals to Mikamura his latest plan which involves Rain, he was horrified and tried to get Rain out of there only to get shot by Ulube. He tried to radio for help which Domon was able to receive, but was cut off by Ulube. In the end the wounded Mikamura sacrificed his life to release Dr. Kasshu's capsule into space. His last words to Domon were to tell Rain not to blame herself for his actions, since he will take full responsibility for it.
[edit] Rules and Regulations of the Gundam Fight
The following are the seven articles of the Gundam Fight International Regulations:
- A unit whose head section has been destroyed is disqualified. Supplement: Accidental harm inflicted on a Gundam Fighter during a match is acceptable.
- A Gundam Fighter must never aim at the cockpit of an opponent's Gundam.
- A Gundam Fighter may repair damage to his Gundam as often as he desires and move on to the championship league, as long as the head section has not been destroyed.
- A Gundam Fighter must take responsibility for protecting his own Gundam.
- A match shall only be held on a one-on-one basis.
- A Gundam Fighter shall not taint the honor and dignity of the nation he is representing.
- The Earth is the ring! Supplement: Destruction of property on Earth due to the Gundam Fight is not considered a crime.
[edit] Final Tournament Additional Rules
Upon the start of the Finals of the 13th Gundam Fight, Wong Yunfat debuted some controversial new rules:
- Unlimited repairs, improvements, and substitutions are acceptable during the final tournament.
- Victory may be obtained through any means (including targeting the cockpit).
- The final winner of the Battle Royale will be awarded the title "Gundam of Gundams."
[edit] Mobile Suits
[edit] Name changes
This series was aired on Cartoon Network starting in August 2002; however, many of the Gundams actual names were changed for different reasons. Three of them were changed for religious references (partly due to the fact that Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the United States, refused to stock toys of the XXXG-01D2 Gundam Deathscythe Hell during the run of Gundam Wing), one was changed for an alcohol reference, and the rest for unknown reasons (Though some speculations for the other name changes is some names are too difficult for children to understand or to make the Gundams sound less detractive to young audiences). This show is currently available on DVD although the original Gundam names can only be seen through English subtitles because the dubbed actors' lines are the same as the Cartoon Network Version. The English manga also uses the new names.
Original names go first followed by English adaptation names.
- God Gundam = Burning Gundam (Includes all the attacks that have the word God in them)
- Devil Gundam = Dark Gundam (Also the Death Army was changed to Dark Army and DG cells are referred as Dark Gundam Cells rather than Devil Gundam Cells)
- Scud Gundam = Desert Gundam (Only appears in a flashback at the beginning of Episode 2)
- Tequila Gundam = Spike Gundam
- Lumber Gundam = Grizzly Gundam
- John Bull Gundam = Royal Gundam
- Pharaoh Gundam IV = Mummy Gundam IV
- Minaret Gundam = Scythe Gundam
- Kowloon Gundam = Haow Gundam
- Gundam Spiegel = Shadow Gundam
- Nether Gundam = Hurricane Gundam
- Matador Gundam = Toro Gundam
- Nobel Gundam = Noble Gundam
- Gundam Heaven's Sword = Raven Gundam
In a related occurance, Chibodee's often used friendly nick name for Domon of 'Japanese' was changed to 'Neo-Japan' to avoid similarities to the racial slur 'Jap', a derogatory term to refer to someone of Japanese origin. Similarly, Chibodee's one off use of 'Chinese' to refer to Sai Saici was changed to 'Neo-China'.
[edit] The manga
A three volume manga was produced serialising the show, as authoured by Koichi Tokita. The manga has generally been poorly received by fans, mainly due to Tokita's characterisation of Rain Mikamura and how he ultimately paints her in an even worse light due to his own admitted favourtism of Allenby Beardsley. The manga is perhaps most famous for starting Go For It, Domon!, a series of 4-komas in which Tokita poked fun at the series. These continued throughout his Gundam works of the 1990s
[edit] Cameos
The final battle of G Gundam includes numerous cameo appearances by prominent mobile suits from previous Gundam series such as the original Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta Gundam, Gundam 0083, Gundam F91, and the manga Crossbone Gundam. In addition, this battle also featured appearances by Gundam Wing's XXXG-01W Wing Gundam (the first on-screen appearance of the Wing Gundam, as Gundam Wing did not actually air until after G Gundam was completed) and the title robots of Daitarn 3 and Zambot 3. None of these machines played any significant role in the battle, and were likely included as an inside joke to long-time fans of Gundam.
[edit] Theme songs
- Openings
- "Flying in the Sky" by Yoshifumi Ushima
- "Trust You Forever" by "Yoshifumi Ushima
- Endings
- "Umi Yori Mo Fukaku [Deeper Than The Ocean]" by Etsuko Sai
- "Kimi No Naka No Eien [The Eternity in You]" by Inoue Takehide
[edit] Trivia
- Schwarz Bruder's name in German literally translates to 'Black Brother'.
- In the English version certain Gundams were renamed. However in episode 41 when the names and locations of the Gundams in the final Battle Royale are shown they are their original names. Domon's Gundam's name is shown as God Gundam and Gentle Chapman's is shown as John Bull Gundam.
- At the start of the second episode, Stalker (the show's narrator) welcomes the audience with an introduction that begins "I would like, if I may, to take you-". This is a reference to the same narration from the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
- The show is often mistakenly called 'Gundam G' by unofficial and fan sources.
- In a series of interviews for the official Region 1 American DVDs, Imagawa explains that Tohofuhai martial arts (the style practiced by Domon Kasshu and his mentor Master Asia) is so successful because rather than sticking to one particular fighting style it is constantly evolving and accepts successful elements from any and all known fighting styles.
- The name of the Neo France pilot "George de Sand" is most likely a reference to George Sand, a French female writer who used a male name to get published in a time (the 19th century) when female writers were not taken seriously by publishing houses. George's effeminate appearance might be a reference to this, and also to Oscar François de Jarjayes, the main character of the legendary Shōjo manga The Rose of Versailles, who was a female cross-dresser. George's costume and the imagery related to his Gundam are openly refering to France before the French Revolution, and his Gundam's master attack refers to roses.
- Wong Yunfat's name, clothing and mannerisms are obvious references to action movie characters portrayed by actor Chow Yun Fat.
[edit] See also
Preceded by: Mobile Suit Victory Gundam
Followed by: New Mobile Report Gundam W
[edit] External links
- GundamOfficial page on G Gundam
- Mobile Fighter G Gundam (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
| Mobile Suit Gundam alternate timelines |
Future Century:
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| Universal Century | Cosmic Era | SD Gundam |
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