Does the name Gundam sound familiar? You might have heard the name come from Bandai’s plastic model kits. Though they are one of the most popular forms of model kits in the world, the concept is derived from the 1979 show, Mobile Suit Gundam, which aired its first episode on April 7, 1979. The show was created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Hajime Yatate. The show would go on to start the Gundam franchise and begin the mecha-anime genre.
The story occurs in the Universal Century. It is the year 0079, and the space colonies, under the Principality of Zeon, declared war on the Earth Federation. In one of these colonies, the Earth Federation has been storing a robot to use in battle against Zeon. The robot is none other than the face of the Gundam franchise, the RX-78-2.
After an ambush attack from Zeon and their mobile suits, the Gundam is forced into combat, being piloted by a young civilian boy named Amuro Ray. In addition to this, due to a majority of the Earth Federation being killed in this location, a group of civilians must take control of the White Base, one of the strongest bases the Earth Federation has. These civilians are forced to fight and join the Earth Federation in their battle against Zeon.
You may be asking, “Why are you talking about a show from the 70s?” The answer is its relevance. Though the show is 45 years old, it still has many themes that are still relevant today and can cause discussion on modern-day war. It is no mystery that our world has been plagued by war for thousands of years – it is almost a part of human nature. There are certain themes from Mobile Suit Gundam that I think perfectly encompass real-world issues.
The first one that comes to mind is civilian involvement in wars. War is usually brought about due to a government’s or some form of association’s declaration. It goes without saying that it is wrong for civilians to be dragged into a war that is usually not ask for. Though, there are sometimes invasions which force civilians into war, but remains unjust and cruel, causing innocent people to be dragged into life-threatening situations to resolve issues of power-hungry world leaders.
In Mobile Suit Gundam, the whole White Base Crew, aside from Officer Bright, are civilians, some being kids. They are all forced into the war for their survival, having to go against real, trained Zeon soldiers, contributing to a common theme of children being forced to witness and partake in war. Moreso, the pilot of the RX-78-2 Gundam is a 16-year-old boy. Early on in the show, we see the trauma he faces, having to end lives due to war. Throughout the show, we see glimpses of his innocence shine through, as ultimately, he is an innocent kid dragged into war. Additionally, there are three children who are aboard the White Base being Katz, Kikka, and Letz. These three children, while only doing minor tasks on board, witness the cruelties of war first-hand, at one point being held captive and nearly bombed by Zeon forces. Even if the plot of the show might be crazy, it still reflects real-life situations, such as the Russo-Ukrainian War that broke out in 2022. The war has brought about and called for civilians to get involved in the battle against trained Russian soldiers, just like that of the White Base crew against the Zeons.
The only difference is that this is not fiction; this is reality. War is something cruel and dehumanizing, involving innocent civilians and allowing them to lose their lives at the hands of greed and power. There were even reports stating that children and teenagers were being trained for war, something that no child or teen should ever have to be put through. At the end of the day, two themes are shown hand in hand: civilians and children being forced into combat, and unsafe environments.
Another theme that the show presents is the gambling of lives to win a war. Gambling lives are no secret to war. Thousands of soldiers are killed during war, whether it be for the ultimate goal of victory or the desire for more power. One example of this in Mobile Suit Gundam, would be how the entire crew of White Base is always put into life-threatening situations and battles. Their lives are always being gambled away by the Earth Federation as they are being used as the ultimate force against Zeon.
Yet another example of this would be Operation British, enacted by Zeon. During this operation, they tried to destroy the Earth Federation’s forces in Jaburo, but failed, resulting in massive casualties on Earth. The action ultimately shows how Zeon has no problem gambling all lives, their own and others, to get the upper hand.
A final example of this would be Char Aznable, the best pilot on the Zeon force, manipulating Garma, a higher officer and considered friend, that leads him into a fatal attack that fails. He gambles Garma’s life as an act of revenge against the Zabi family, whom he was a part of, since Garma’s father was responsible for the death of his father. That right there is a perfect example of war used for personal gain.
A few examples of how this connects directly to modern conflicts would be the Iraq War, which lasted from 2003-2011. The decision to invade Iraq was based on disrupted intelligence. Thousands of US soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians had been killed or harmed. The war was built on uncertain outcomes that gambled with the lives of thousands.
Another example of this would be the present Russo-Ukrainian war, dealing with the drafting of civilian men and high casualties. During this whole situation, leaders force people to fight for political and territorial gain, further echoing the idea of treating life as currency in war.
The theme being presented by Gudnam helps us use these sci-fi themes to illustrate an important message: life is not a currency and should not be treated the same as money being gambled. These are human lives, each holding infinite value, yet they are expended like they mean nothing. If there is anything to be learned from this, it is that leaders should be having civilized discussions, and physical altercations should not be based on gain or chance, but by either guaranteed success or by limiting casualties from occurring.
A final theme that Mobile Suit Gundam showcases would be the rapid development and economic mobilization of weapons of war. One of the biggest plot points of the show is the mobile suits of the giant robots fighting in the show. For most of the war, Zeon had primarily used Mobile Suits known as Zakus, but once the Earth Federation revealed their Gundam, Zeon began putting all their effort into creating more powerful mobile suits to take down the Earth Federation. At one point, every few episodes, a new prototype mobile suit was shown, consisting of abilities that made it more and more fatal each time.
On the Earth Federation’s side, they began mass-producing their Gundams and creating their own dangerous weapons. Both sides kept becoming extremely technologically advanced to defeat the other, which ultimately would lead to the death of many more civilians. This theme could be attributed to so many things in modern society. Ever since the Atomic Bombs had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the idea of nuclear missiles and weapons has grown immensely. Other techniques of using bio weapons and, now, even robots, are being tested. The desire to create more forms of dangerous weaponry is getting both scary and dangerous.
It goes without saying that technology is evolving rapidly around us, especially with the introduction of artificial intelligence in our lives. Technological advancements, while they can have their benefits, ultimately lead to the creation of more powerful weapons, posing a threat to humanity. A conversation must be had to limit the use of further advancing technology for weapons. As humans, and as a society as a whole, we must learn to communicate issues instead of rushing into war as a solution. Civil discussions must be had. Why is it so hard to discuss matters, a simple exchange of dialogue, but so easy to spend billions of dollars on advancing technology to kill one another? That is not peace – that is destruction.
With that being said, Mobile Suit Gundam is a fantastic classic anime that deserves a watch. It brings about serious themes that should continue to be discussed today to allow for peace to one day flourish in this world, and not war.