| “ | Don't get so worked up, it's that simple. Everyone other than me exists only for me to kill. | ” |
—Ash Gray | ||
Ash Gray (アッシュ・グレイ Asshu Gurei?) is a character introduced in the manga Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray R.
Personality & Character[]
Skills & Abilities[]
Physical Aspects & Clothing[]
History[]
Ash Gray was a ZAFT special forces pilot, whose main reason for joining the military was to kill as many people as possible. As a result of his psychological instability, Ash was known to have kept a collection of "dolls" to represent his victims. He was deployed to GENESIS Alpha and assigned the ZGMF-X11A Regenerate Gundam.
During his childhood, he was hospitalized due to a genetic disorder. At the hospital, he met a young girl who tried to cheer him up by gifting him a doll she made, believing that her illness will be cured once she makes a hundred dolls. Gray's illness was cured when he was ten, however, the girl did not survive. He later learned that the girl possessed rare genes, and was killed for her organs by a politician with the same illness. The politician's son, who served in the military, later died in an apparent accident, and Ash was said to have joined his unit shortly before. Presumably, this incident led to his twisted personality.[1]
After Lacus Clyne was branded as a traitor by ZAFT, Gray was ordered to seek her out and kill her. However, he did not care for the mission, and only used it as an excuse to kill as many people as possible. Accompanied by a support ship, he began tracking the Junk Guild ship ReHOME, which provided supplies for Lacus's personal ship, the Eternal.
He first made his move when he interrupted Rondo Mina Sahaku's testing of the recently repaired MBF-P01-ReAMATU Gundam Astray Gold Frame Amatsu, destroying its legs. He then destroyed the ZAFT base Erdu for failing to stop the ReHOME from passing through their sector, saying that incompetents deserve to die. At this point, he became intrigued by Junk Guild pilot Lowe Guele, who foiled the ZAFT trap at Erdu in the MBF-P02 Gundam Astray Red Frame Power Loader.
Eventually, Gray decided to drive Lacus out of hiding by simply sinking the ReHOME, despite his superior's warning that attacking the Junk Guild would cause an international incident. He attacked the ship without warning, forcing Lowe to engage it in the Red Frame. However, after failing to hit the Regenerate using beam rifle, Lowe speculated that its massive size and high speed meant that it was less maneuverable. Equipping the Power Loader, he attempted to chop it in half using the 150 Gerbera Straight. However, Gray, who has only been using the Regenerate's cruise mode until then, surprised everyone present by transforming into mobile suit form.
Revealing his mission and true intention to Lowe, Gray damaged the Power Loader with the Regenerate's leg beam saber, but Lowe restrained the Regenerate using the Power Loader before chopping off its limbs using the Red Frame's Gerbera Straight. However, a space capsule was suddenly launched into the battlefield, releasing new limbs for the Regenerate. which it promptly connects to. Lowe quickly deduced that the true form of the Regenerate was the backpack, and its limbs were simply replaceable spare parts.
The Regenerate proceeded to destroy both the Red Frame and the Power Loader's left arms, throwing off their balance. Just as Gray was gaining the upper hand, however, Jean Carry intervened in his MBF-M1 M1 Astray. Though he stated that he only came looking for Lowe and did not want a fight, Gray was simply delighted that there was one more person for him to kill. At first, it seemed like Jean was winning. However, Gray feigned defeat after receiving a direct hit, only to transform into MA form and destroy the M1 Astray's shield with a single blast. However, before he could press the attack, his support ship came under attack, he suddenly received an order to retreat, forcing him to abandon the battle.
After returning to base, he found out that there was no retreat order issued, revealing that the order he received was sent by someone else who hacked into his comm system, and that person must have known about the facility he's guarding as well. In the meantime, intelligence broker Kenaf Luchini, the man responsible for issuing the fake order, contacted Lowe's group and offered to assist him in defeating Gray, even hiring the Serpent Tail to help him.
As the Junk Guild and Serpent Tail forces, with Lowe's repaired and upgraded MBF-P02 Gundam Astray Red Frame "Powered Red" and Gai Murakumo's MBF-P03secondL Gundam Astray Blue Frame Second L in the lead, began their attack, Gray deactivated GENESIS Alpha's Mirage Colloid, revealing the super weapon. He then used GENESIS Alpha's blast to activate Regenerate's lightcraft propulsion, charging at the Powered Red at maximum speed. However, Powered Red's increased speed and power allowed it to see through the Regenerate's movement and instantly destroy its limbs with the 150 Gerbera Straight. Gray attempted to call for replacement parts, only to see that all of them have been destroyed by Gai. Meanwhile, Elijah Kiel and Jean Carry destroyed the rest of the ZAFT defense force, while Loretta Azure and Reed Weller took over GENESIS Alpha itself and planted bombs all over it.
Gray attempted to call for reinforcements from ZAFT, but his communications were cut off by Luchini. Angered, he lunged at the Powered Red and attempted to take control of it by hacking into its electronic systems. However, he was stopped by 8, who took back the controls. The Serpent Tail detonated the bombs planted on GENESIS Alpha, however, since it was protected by Phase Shift armor, they failed to destroy it. Meanwhile, Gray was able to assemble enough usable parts from the destroyed spare parts to reform the Regenerate. He prepared to fire the GENESIS Alpha once again, which would annihilate the Red Frame and the Blue Frame, while he himself would escape using lightcraft propulsion.
However, Lowe's Powered Red was able to overpower the Regenerate, tossing it away before punching it in a structural weakness with the "Red Flame" attack. The impact from the blow damaged the Regenerate's electronic systems despite its phase shift armor protection, disabling its AMBAC and retro thrusters. With no way to control the Regenerate, he was sent helplessly flying into Earth Alliance territory. Gray was eventually recovered by The Clan, brainwashed and became a subordinate of Matisse. He was then given the codename "Scout 0984".
From the Earth Alliance/The Clan, he received the stolen and modified ZGMF-X12A Testament and was ordered to interfere with the Junk Guild's and Serpent Tail's activities during the "Break the World" incident. He was subsequently defeated by mercenary Kaite Madigan and journalist Jess Rabble in the ZGMF-X12D Gundam Astray Out Frame D. This caused him to break free from his conditioning and remember his real name. He then committed suicide by opening the cockpit hatch with his helmet removed, exposing himself to the vacuum of space, but not before mouthing the name "Matisse" to Jess.
Gallery[]
Notes & Trivia[]
Appearances[]
- Manga
- Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray R
- Chapter 17, Unit 17: Time Limit Run
- First Appearance
- Chapter 17, Unit 17: Time Limit Run
References[]
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray R vol. 2, Special Unit 3: Girl's Photo