Gundam Project: Z Gundam

MOBILE SUIT
Z GUNDAM

More Information

Story Date
Universal Century 0087

The Story
A brief synopsis of the story, and profiles of the major characters.

The Mechanics
Mobile suits and vehicles, with complete specs where available.

Z Gundam was, in the real world, the first sequel to the original Gundam series. It debuted in 1985, after the release of the compilation movies - and the extra scene at the end depicting Char's escape from the final battle - had whetted fans' appetites for a continuation of the Gundam saga. Though the Greek letter in its title might suggest that this television series was intended to conclude the story, you'll recall that "Zeta" is far from the last letter of the Greek alphabet.

While the series delivered on some viewer expectations by reuniting the original creative team, and reintroducing Char and the rest of the surviving cast, it also did its best to disorient the viewer by reshuffling all the factions and allegiances. Now the Earth Federation, in its zeal to stamp out the remnants of rebellion in the space colonies, had become the villain. Char and the White Base crew were now on the same side, fighting against the evil excesses of the Federation's elite Titans force. And Amuro, the soulful hero of the original series, was relegated to a bit part while a new hero took his place.

Though its plot was complex and its story unrelentingly bleak, Z Gundam was a bona fide hit. Since then, nary a year has gone by without a new addition to the Gundam saga.

Format:                 Television series, 50 episodes
Aired:                  March 2, 1985 to February 22, 1986

Director:               Yoshiyuki Tomino
Character design:       Yoshikazu Yasuhiko
Mecha design:           Kunio Okawara, Kazumi Fujita
Design works:           Mamoru Nagano
Art direction:          Jun'ichi Higashi

Mobile Suit Gundam, Z Gundam, Gundam ZZ, Char's Counterattack, Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, Gundam F91, Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory, Gundam 0083: Last Blitz of Zeon, Gundam: The 08th MS Team, and Gundam W: Endless Waltz are copyright Sotsu Agency and Sunrise. V Gundam, G Gundam, Gundam W, and Gundam X are copyright Sotsu Agency, Sunrise and TV Asahi.