Mobile Suit Gundam Wing

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, known in Japan as New Mobile Report Gundam W (also known as 新機動戦記ガンダムW shin kidou senki gandamu wing in Japanese), is a televised Anime series, which ran for 49 episodes beginning in 1995. Initially directed by Masashi Ikeda and written by Katsuyuki Sumizawa (Ronin Warriors), the series was loosely based on the original 1979 Gundam series, Mobile Suit Gundam, created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Hajime Yatate.

Gundam Wing is one of the alternate universe Gundam series, taking place in the After Colony timeline, year 195. The story centers around the pilots of extremely advanced Mobile Suits known as "Gundams" because they are constructed from Gundanium alloy. They represent the space colonies, against the repressive world dictatorial government, the United Earth Sphere Alliance, particularly a subsection known as OZ (an acronym for Organization of Zodiac). Oz is the military branch of the Romefeller Foundation, a group of aristocrats dedicated to taking the place as rulers of the Earth and the colonies they believe is rightfully theirs.

The naming scheme for the series is based on a numerical system. Each character's name is typically derived from the word for a number in various languages ("Heero" means "one", "Duo" means "two", etc). It is based largely on the French counting system. (Quatre, Trieze, Une, etc.)

The series is also well known for its unexpectedly large female fanbase, which creates a large portion of the fanfictions and doujinshi based on this show. The producers of the series grudgingly acknowledge the existence of the fanwork, but their reaction appears reserved, particularly due to the large amount of merchandise these fans buy. Some traditional fans of Gundam, largely military sci-fi fans, were less pleased with the show, citing poorly perceived battle sequences and shoddy philosophy.

Due to the popularity of the series, two OVAs, compiling various scenes from the series along with a few minutes of new footage, were released in 1996 as Gundam Wing: Operation Meteor I and II. A brand new, three-volume OVA series, Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz was made in 1997 as a sequel to the TV series and closes out the After Colony saga.

Manga sidestories have also been produced. A prequel detailing the events leading up to the launch of the Gundams to Earth, is Episode Zero. Several sequel manga, occurring between Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz have been written, titled, Gundam Wing: Blind Target, Gundam Wing: Ground Zero,and Battlefield of Pacifists. A coincident storyline is presented in Last Outpost (G-Unit). The Gundam Wing, Battlefield of Pacifists, and Endless Waltz manga series are published in English by TokyoPop, while Blind Target, Ground Zero, and Episode Zero are published by Viz Communications.

Gundam Wing had a run on Cartoon Network's Toonami where it was broadcasted as an edited version in the daytime and a uncut version at night. (ex: blood is edited and the word 'kill' is replaced by the word destroy). Also Duo's nickname the God of Death was edited to the Great Destroyer (Which also included altering two episode titles). Template:Spoiler

Characters

The Gundam Wing characters include the Gundam pilots and many other side characters all of which have names which mean a number in some other language.

Gundam Pilots

Heero Yuy (real name classified): Of Japanese origin, Heero is the pilot of the XXXG-01W Wing Gundam and XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero. Often called the perfect soldier, he speaks in a monotone voice and appears cold and emotionless. Trained from youth, he became capable of piloting his Gundam with extreme prowess. His devotion to the completion of his mission is his defining characteristic. During the television series, very little of his past is revealed, although according to the manga series Episode: Zero, Heero was once the protégé of an assassin called Odin Lowe. After Odin Lowe died, Heero was taken in by Doctor J, who trained him to become a Gundam pilot. Dr. J gave him the code name of Heero Yuy, after the martyred leader of the colonies. According to the Sunrise creators, the name of Heero Yuy (pronounced "He-e-ro Yu-i" in Japanese) and its unique spelling are meant as a multiple wordplay on the Japanese words for "one" (ichi/hi) and "unique" (yui-itsu), the English word "hero," and Amuro Ray (the main protagonist in the first Mobile Suit Gundam series, pronounced "A-mu-ro Re-i"). Voices: Hikaru Midorikawa (Japanese), Mark Hildreth (English)

Duo Maxwell (real name unknown): Of American origin, Duo is the pilot of the XXXG-01D Gundam Deathscythe, and XXXG-01D2 Gundam Deathscythe Hell (the original Deathscythe was destroyed - the Endless Waltz versions , XXXG-01D2 Gundam Deathscythe Hell Custom, were "retroactive redesigns"). This bold and happy-go-lucky guy wears his hair in the form of a thick waist-length braid, and his signature outfit is a priest's black shirt, with clerical collar. Duo refers to himself as Shinigami (God of Death) as a result of his belief that those close to him were fated to die. He is the most extroverted of the Gundam pilots, and unlike Heero, Trowa and Wufei, he is a friend of Quatre. In the edited version his God of Death nickname was changed to the Great Destroyer. Voices: Toshihiko Seki (Japanese), Scott McNeil (English)

Trowa (Trois) Barton, real name (assumed) Triton Bloom: According to fandom theory as being of Italian origin (although not identified as such officially), he's the pilot of the XXXG-01H Gundam Heavyarms. In his off-time he works in a circus as a clown and high wire act. Reserved by nature and almost as emotionless as Heero, Trowa has no recollection of his past and has lived most of his life on the battlefield. Trowa took the name of Trowa Barton, Dekim Barton's son, after the real Trowa was shot by the assistant of Dr. S. Trowa is assumed to be Catherine Bloom's long lost brother, who was believed to have died years ago as a infant. Voices: Shigeru Nakahara (Japanese), Kirby Morrow (English)

Quatre Raberba Winner: Of Arabian origin, Quatre (pronouced KAT-trah) is the pilot of the XXXG-01SR Gundam Sandrock. He is a very kind young man who loves animals, and is the greatest believer in pacifism of the five Gundam pilots and gets along very well with Duo. He believes that Earth and the colonies should not be fighting. He has twenty-nine older sisters, all test tube babies, because of the numerous problems experienced in natural pregnancy during the colonists' first arrival in space. Though the problem was later solved, the Winner family, who have been in space since the formation of the colonies, remained an exception. Quatre is the only child who was born naturally (his mother died giving birth to him and he was never told that he was born naturally) and is the heir to the Winner family. Quatre also leads a group of middle-eastern fighters known as the Maganac Corps. The Maganacs have accepted Quatre as their leader, when Quatre saved their leader Rashid's life, after Quatre helped flush out a traitor within the Maganacs ranks. Voices: Ai Orikasa (Japanese), Brad Swaile (English)

Chang Wufei(張五飛): Of Chinese origin, Wufei is the pilot of XXXG-01S Gundam Shenlong("神龍"=God Dragon) which he calls Nataku (哪吒, equivalent to Nezha). Later in the series he pilots the XXXG-01S2 Gundam Altron("二頭龍"pinyin:Ertoulong, Double-headed Dragon). Wufei despises weakness in character and body. When he was younger, his unwillingness to fight resulted in the death of his wife, a strong girl that took the responsibility of protecting the colony with the Gundam Shenlong onto herself. (Wufei is a member of the Dragon clan in which members are obligated to marry at the age of 13.) He fights for justice and named his Gundam after his wife, who believed that she was Nataku, a war god of legend who had a body but no soul to house within it. Voices: Ryuzo Ishino (Japanese), Ted Cole (English)

The Gundam Engineers

Doctor J: The man who was responsible for the training of Heero Yuy and developed Wing Gundam. He is also the unofficial head of the Gundam Engineers. His white hair hangs long and ragged, past his shoulders. He is also distinguised by a cybernetic arm and leg, and he always has dark goggles secured tightly over his eyes. Voice: Dave "Squatch" Ward (English)

Professor G: The man who took in Duo Maxwell and made him the pilot of Deathscythe which he had developed. His hair is cut to vaguely resemble the head of a mushroom. He has a very bushy mustache and an improbably long nose.

Doktor S: The engineer who created the Gundam Heavyarms, Trowa's gundam. His assistant shot the real Trowa Barton when Trowa reveals that he fully intends to execute Operation Meteor as originally intended. His short, grey hair stands almost straight up, and he has a peculiar prosthetic nose.

Instructor H: A friend of the Winner family that developed the Gundam Sandrock, Quatre's gundam. He hid the plans for Wing Zero in the Winner family's database. He is rather fat, with a receding hairline and a thin, dark mustache that stands straight out at each end.

Master O: The man who developed Gundam Shenlong, Wufei's gundam. Of imposing stature and bald as a cue ball, the powerful and athletic Master O is an expert in many forms of martial arts.

Howard: While Howard did not develop any of the 5 gundams, he was one of the original gundam engineers that developed the Tallgeese, the prototype for all mobile suits. In the series, he assists the Gundam pilots and is the owner of the space ship Peacemillion. His Hawaiian shirts and wraparound shades make him the most colorfully dressed character in the series.

Oz

Zechs Merquise (real name: Milliardo Peacecraft): Of Northern European origin, Zechs pilots the Tallgeese for Oz. Later in the series, he pilots a mobile suit called Epyon which has the same program as Wing Zero. Zechs was once Milliardo Peacecraft, crown prince to the fallen pacifist nation, the Sanc Kingdom, and the older brother of future princess Relena Peacecraft. Under his real name he becomes the leader of the White Fang, a group made up of rebel colonists and former Treize Faction members. In Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, Milliardo/Zechs allies himself with the Gundam pilots and joins the Preventers, a group of former soldiers dedicated to preserving peace. Voices: Takehito Koyasu (Japanese), Brian Drummond (English)

Lucrezia Noin: Of Mediterranean origin, at the beginning of the series she was an instructor at OZ's Lake Victoria Academy. It was mentioned in the series that she got the second highest grade in the history of Lake Victoria Academy (Zechs got the highest, although he claims that it was only because Noin let him.) Later, she joins Zechs in the war. Upon Zechs' request she becomes Relena's guardian and acts as the head of security for the reincarted Sanc Kingdom. She also supports the gundam pilots whenever she can. She pilots a white Taurus suit as part of the Sanc Kingdom's defense. Voices: Chisa Yokoyama (Japanese), Saffron Henderson (English)

Treize Khushrenada: Of Aryan origin, the leader of OZ and a member of Romefeller. Later on he is stripped of his postion when he refuses to support the mobile dolls, a type of mobile suit that doesn't need a pilot. He does so because Treize is a firm believer in tradition and feels that because mobile dolls will make humans unnecessary in battle, warfare will be meaningless. This caused a similarly-minded part of OZ to split into what is known as Treize Faction. Later on, after his former friend Milliardo becomes the leader of the White Fang, Treize steps out of hiding and takes over Relena's position as the World Nations leader. He meets his end in battle agains Chang Wufei, apparently of his own volition. Voices: Ryoutarou Okiayu (Japanese), David Kaye (English)

Lady Une: Of German origin, Treize's second in command; she is completely devoted to him. Initially in the series, Une suffers from multiple personality disorder, having one personality that is a complete pacifist and another that is a battle-hardened soldier. Later in the series, Une somehow reconciles the two personalities into a single personality that is committed to bringing peace, but realistic in that she understands that force is needed to bring it about. Voices: Yuri Sa (Japanese), Enuka Okuma (English)

Dorothy Catalonia: A teenage girl who greatly supports the war and believes that people only truly live when they fight. She believes that fighting is a part of human nature and that war is inevitable. Her beliefs put her at odds with the pacifistic ideals of Relena, as well as those of Gundam pilot Quatre (she, however, admires Relena's determination while hating Quatre's). It is revealed in a duel with Quatre that her father died in battle, and that she wishes for a glorious death as well. She is the granddaughter of the leader of Romefeller, Duke Dermail, and as such is a cousin of Treize Khushrenada. Voices: Naoko Matsui (Japanese), Cathy Weseluck (English)

Hilde Schbeiker: Of German origin, Hilde was a volunteer soldier to the OZ Space Army. When she meets Duo, she begins to feel doubts about OZ, and finally decides leave OZ and help Duo. She sneaks into Libra and acquires data within about the battleship, but when fleeing, she is attacked by Mercurius and Vayeate, and dodges disater by a hair's breadth when rescued by Duo. She later reunites with him.

Civilians

Relena Darlian (real name: Relena Peacecraft): At the beginning of Gundam Wing, Relena is a naïve girl who becomes obsessed with Heero Yuy. She is the daughter of Vice Foreign Minister Darlian, who, on his deathbed, tells her that she is really Relena Peacecraft, the princess of the fallen Sanc Kingdom, a nation dedicated to pacifism. She later reinstates the Sanc Kingdom as its rightful heir, but the country is shattered by the Romefeller Foundation. She briefly becomes their Chief Representative in hopes of changing the ideals of the Romefeller Foundation. Though she meets with some success, she is ousted when Treize returns to that position after her brother Milliardo becomes the leader of the White Fang and declares war against the Earth. In Endless Waltz, she becomes the new Vice Foreign Minister of the ESUN and has gone back to the Darlian name. During the time she was held captive by the Mariemaia Army, Relena realized for the first time that Total Pacifism doesn't lead to true peace and she was running from the truth. So in the end having decided that she will no longer consider herself a Peacecraft, Relena is able direct the civilians to stand up to the Mariemaia army in a non-violent protest. Afterwards she returns to her duties. Voices: Akiko Yajima (Japanese), Lisa Ann Beley (English)

Sally Po: Formerly a major and a medical officer in the Alliance's Federation Army prior to its takeover by OZ, Sally becomes a resistance fighter, protecting the people against the abuses of OZ. She encounters the various Gundam pilots and their friends and allies on several occasions, and assists them wherever possible. In this aspect she is plays a role similar to Noin's. Yet the difference is that where Noin chooses to lend her support solely to one person/country/ideal (i.e. the total pacifist ideals of the Sanc Kingdom of which Relena is ruler), Sally often works by herself. Despite this, the two women are allies and often supply each other with information. Voices: Yumi Touma (Japanese), Samantha Ferris (English)

Episode Guide

01 - The Shooting Star She Saw
02 - The Gundam Deathscythe
03 - Five Gundams Confirmed
04 - The Victorian Nightmare
05 - Relena's Secret
06 - Party Night
07 - Scenario For Bloodshed
08 - The Treize Assassination
09 - Portrait Of A Ruined Country
10 - Heero, Distracted By Defeat
11 - The Whereabouts Of Happiness
12 - Bewildered Warriors
13 - Catherine's Tears
14 - The Order To Destroy 01
15 - To The Battleground Antarctica
16 - The Sorrowful Battle
17 - Betrayed By Home, Far Away
18 - Tallgeese Destroyed
19 - Assault On Barge
20 - The Lunar Base Infiltration
21 - Grief Stricken Quatre
22 - The Fight For Independence
23 - Duo, God Of Death Once Again (Edited on Toonami as; Duo, The Great Destroyer Once Again)
24 - The Gundam They Called Zero
25 - Quatre VS Heero
26 - The Eternal Flame Of The Shooting Stars
27 - The Locus Of Victory And Defeat
28 - Passing Destinies
29 - The Heroine Of The Battlefield
30 - The Reunion With Relena
31 - The Glass Kingdom
32 - The God Of Death Meets Zero (Edited on Toonami as; The Great Destroyer Meets Zero)
33 - The Lonely Battlefield
34 - And Its Name Is Epyon
35 - The Return Of Wufei
36 - The Fall Of Sanc Kingdom
37 - Zero VS Epyon
38 - The Birth Of Queen Relena
39 - Trowa's Return To The Battlefield
40 - A New Leader
41 - Crossfire At Barge
42 - Battleship Libra
43 - Target: Earth
44 - Go Forth, Gundam Team
45 - Signs Of The Final Battle
46 - Milliardo's Decision
47 - Collision In Space
48 - Takeoff Into Confusion
49 - The Final Victor

External Links

Official Mobile Suit Gundam Wing website
mahq.net - detailed Mobile Suit information
Gundam Plus - information, image gallery