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Please note that this is the Gundam Wiki's article on the TV series, Mobile Fighter G Gundam; if you are looking for the article on the titular mobile suit of this series then you should head to GF13-017NJII God Gundam.

Mobile Fighter G Gundam (機動武闘伝Gガンダム Kidō Butōden Ji Gandamu?), also known as Mobile Fighting Legend G Gundam, is a 1994 anime television series created by Sunrise under the direction of Yasuhiro Imagawa. It was the first series in the Gundam franchise not set in the Universal Century timeline, being set in the Future Century timeline instead. It is available to be streamed on Crunchyroll.

Synopsis[]

In the Future Century (F.C.), humans have ruined the Earth. Much of mankind has abandoned Earth for space colonies, with each country on Earth having a corresponding space colony. Instead of having wars, a "Gundam Fight" is held every four years, where a representative will pilot a Mobile Fighter and compete with other Gundams until only one is left. The winning country is allowed to rule the Earth for four years until the next Gundam Fight.

Dr. Kasshu builds the experimental Ultimate Gundam, whose purpose is to restore the Earth. However it is stolen by his son, Kyoji Kasshu, who escapes to Earth. As the 13th Gundam Fight begins, his brother Domon Kasshu is forced to become Neo Japan's Gundam Fighter to free his father, who was arrested and sentenced to cryogenic sleep following these events. He must also defeat his brother Kyoji and destroy the Ulimate Gundam, which has since evolved into the monstrous JDG-00X Devil Gundam.

Rules and Regulations of the Gundam Fight[]

Every 4 years, one representative from each nation pilots a machine called a Gundam, and takes part in a match. Its called the Gundam Fight! And the pilots fight, and they fight and continue fighting. Until the nation represented by the last remaining Gundam earns the right to rule all the colony nations

—Stalker [1]

The following are the seven articles of the Gundam Fight International Regulations:

  1. A unit whose head section has been destroyed is disqualified.
  2. A Gundam Fighter must never aim at the cockpit of an opponent's Gundam. Supplement: Accidental harm inflicted on a Gundam Fighter during a match is acceptable.
  3. A Gundam Fighter may repair any damage to their Gundam as often as they desire and move on to the championship league, as long as the head section has not been destroyed.
  4. A Gundam Fighter must take full responsibility for protecting their own Gundam.
  5. A match shall only be held on a one-on-one basis.
  6. A Gundam Fighter shall not taint the honor and dignity of the nation they are representing.
  7. The Earth is the ring. Supplement: Destruction of property on Earth due to the Gundam Fight is not considered a crime.

Final Tournament Additional Rules[]

Upon the start of the finals of the 13th Gundam Fight, Wong Yunfat debuted some controversial new rules:

  1. Unlimited repairs, improvements, and substitutions are acceptable during the final tournament.
  2. Victory may be obtained through any means (including targeting the cockpit).
  3. The final winner of the Battle Royale will be awarded the title "Gundam of Gundams."

Characters[]

Neo Japan[]

Neo America[]

Neo Russia[]

Neo France[]

Neo China[]

Neo Germany[]

Neo Hong Kong[]

Neo Sweden[]

Neo Denmark[]

Neo Mexico[]

Neo Nepal[]

Neo Canada[]

Neo Spain[]

Neo Britain[]

Neo Holland[]

Neo Turkey[]

Neo Egypt[]

Neo Italy[]

Neo Greece[]

Neo India[]

Neo Portugal[]

Neo Malaysia[]

Neo Singapore[]

Neo Cuba[]

Neo Mongolia[]

Neo Poland[]

Neo Norway[]

Neo Kenya[]

Shuffle Alliance[]

Mobile Weapons[]

See List of Future Century Mobile Weapons

Episodes[]

# Episode Title Japanese Airdate English Airdate
1 Gundam Fight Begins! The Gundam that Fell to Earth 22 April 1994 5 August 2002
2 Roar! The Certain Kill Punch Grasping Dreams 29 April 1994 6 August 2002
3 Defeat It! Devil God Dragon Gundam 6 May 1994 7 August 2002
4 Challenge! The Red Rose Knight! 13 May 1994 8 August 2002
5 Great Escape! A Captive Gundam Fighter 20 May 1994 12 August 2002
6 Fight, Domon! Earth is the Ring 27 May 1994 13 August 2002
7 Prepare to Fight! Desperate Fugitive 3 June 1994 14 August 2002
8 Old Grudge! Revenge of the Space Police 10 June 1994 15 August 2002
9 Powerful Enemy! Chapman's Heroic Challenge 17 June 1994 19 August 2002
10 Terror! The Phantom Fighter Appears 24 June 1994 20 August 2002
11 Reunion in Falling Rain 1 July 1994 21 August 2002
12 He's The Undefeated of the East! Master Asia Appears 8 July 1994 22 August 2002
13 Big Pinch! The Enemies Are the 5 Great Gundams! 15 July 1994 26 August 2002
14 Shocking! Shining Finger Defeated! 22 July 1994 27 August 2002
15 Warrior's Crest! Goodbye, Shuffle Alliance 29 July 1994 28 August 2002
16 Ultimate Power and Evil! Rise of the Devil Gundam 5 August 1994 29 August 2002
17 Challenge! Mysterious Masked Fighter 12 August 1994 2 September 2002
18 Steal the Secret! Scheme of the Beautiful Warriors 19 August 1994 3 September 2002
19 Fierce Battle! Dragon Gundam vs. Bolt Gundam 26 August 1994 4 September 2002
20 George, Beat the Nightmare! 2 September 1994 5 September 2002
21 The Final Battle Approaches! Only 3 Days Away 9 September 1994 8 September 2002
22 Breakthrough! Warriors Strong Ties 16 September 1994 10 September 2002
23 Destined Battle! Domon vs. Devil Gundam 23 September 1994 11 September 2002
24 Bright New Star! The Birth of the God Gundam 30 September 1994 12 September 2002
25 All Fighters Gathered! The Final Battles Begin 7 October 1994 16 September 2002
26 A New Weapon! Erupting God Finger 14 October 1994 17 September 2002
27 Hang on Domon! Triumph of the Restored Faith 21 October 1994 18 September 2002
28 Domon Targeted! The Assassin's Staff 28 October 1994 19 September 2002
29 Running Away! Sai Saici In Love 4 November 1994 23 September 2002
30 Beautiful Fighter! Dangerous Allenby 11 November 1994 24 September 2002
31 Dazzling Power of the Clown! Get Mad, Gundam Maxter 18 November 1994 25 September 2002
32 Dangerous Trap! Neros Gundam Strikes Back 25 November 1994 26 September 2002
33 Emissary of Hell! Chapman Rises Again 2 December 1994 27 September 2002
34 Stand Up Domon! Raging Tag Team Match 9 December 1994 30 September 2002
35 Showdown! Bursting Machine Gun Punch 16 December 1994 1 October 2002
36 A Knights' Pride! Gundam Rose Stolen 23 December 1994 2 October 2002
37 Sai Saici's New Attack! Blazing Dragon Gundam 6 January 1995 3 October 2002
38 Domon vs. Argo! Charging Bolt Gundam 13 January 1995 4 October 2002
39 Sekiha Tenkyouken! Duel With Master Asia 20 January 1995 7 October 2002
40 The Ruthless Fight! Schwarz's Last Match 27 January 1995 8 October 2002
41 Battle Royal Begins! Devil Gundam Revived 3 February 1995 9 October 2002
42 Assault of the Four Evil Kings! Gundam Heaven's Sword 10 February 1995 10 October 2002
43 Royal Counterattack! Ambush of the Grand Gundam 17 February 1995 11 October 2002
44 Schwarz Rests in Grace! Domon's Tearful Attack 24 February 1995 14 October 2002
45 Farewell Master: Master Asia's Last Breath 3 March 1995 14 October 2002
46 Rain's Crisis: Return Of The Devil Gundam 10 March 1995 15 October 2002
47 Devil Colony Activated: Attack Of The Shuffle Alliance 17 March 1995 15 October 2002
48 Earth's S.O.S.: Rescue Gundam Federation 24 March 1995 16 October 2002
49 God Gundam's Great Triumph: A Hopeful Future; Ready, Go! 31 March 1995 16 October 2002


Production[]

The anime was directed by Yasuhiro Imagawa.

Release[]

Three weeks before the series aired, there was a three-episode prologue. It briefly showcased all Gundam anime up until that point and then introduced the new series.

Name Changes[]

G Gundam was aired on Cartoon Network starting in August 2002; however, many of the Gundams' original names were changed for various reasons.

Three of the changes were because of overt religious references: God Gundam to "Burning Gundam", Devil Gundam to "Dark Gundam", and Gundam Heaven's Sword to "Soaring Raven Gundam" (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). In addition, the Death Army was changed to "Dark Army" for conservative reasons. Tequila Gundam was changed to "Spike Gundam" due to alcohol references.

The others were changed for unclear reasons, though speculations cite some names being too difficult for children to understand, or to make them more appealing to younger viewers. Cultural sensitivity may also have been an influence in two cases: the briefly encountered Neo-Iraq Scud Gundam (likely due to the use of Scud Missiles in the then recent Gulf War), and Neo-Hong Kong's Kowloon Gundam.

In the U.S. DVD releases, both the original from Bandai Entertainment and the license rescue from Nozomi Entertainment, the original Gundam names are seen in the English subtitles but the dubbed actors' lines are the same as the Cartoon Network version. The English manga also uses the new names. The Nozomi release emphasizes the original names despite keeping the Bandai dub; in a sly note to this, the limited Ultra Edition includes a shot glass with Tequila Gundam on it.

Original Name English Adaptation
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 Soaring Raven Gundam

In a related occurrence, Chibodee's oftenly used friendly nickname for Domon, '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'.

Audio Drama[]

The show's second soundtrack CD (although it is titled Round 3, as Rounds 1 & 2 were released as a two-disc album) contains an audio drama. In this brand new story, Domon and the others attend the premier of a Hong Kong action film based on their adventures. The story of both the film itself and the audio drama is mostly comedic in nature. One running joke involves Sai's annoyance that the film had cast him as a female and given Rain his place as Neo China's fighter. The drama segments are interspersed with the Cantonese songs which were used to define the show's second half, set in Neo Hong Kong. A new one created for the album is a Cantonese version of the show's first opening song Flying in the Sky, used as the opening song for the fictional movie. Domon is shown to quite enjoy the song.

Manga[]

A three volume manga was produced serialising the show, as authored by Kōichi 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 favoritism 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.

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, V Gundam, and the manga Crossbone Gundam. In addition, this battle also features appearances by Gundam Wing's XXXG-01W Wing Gundam (making its on-screen debut) and the title robots of Zambot 3 and Daitarn 3 (both of which were Yoshiyuki Tomino's creations before Gundam). Also, a mobile suit of striking resemblance to Gundam Deathscythe Hell makes an appearance in the episode introducing Bolt Gundam in the underground facility. 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.

Theme Songs[]

  • Openings
  1. "Flying In The Sky" by Hitofumi Ushima (episodes 1-25)
  2. "Trust You Forever" by Hitofumi Ushima (episodes 26-49)
  • Endings
  1. "Umi Yori Mo Fukaku [Deeper Than The Ocean]" by Etsuko Sai
  2. "Kimi No Naka No Eien [The Eternity in You]" by Inoue Takehide

Gallery[]

Publications[]

Notes & Trivia[]

  • This series is set in the Future Century timeline. This made it the first Gundam series to be set outside of the Universal Century timeline from the original Mobile Suit Gundam series.
    • Additionally because of the setting, this is the first Gundam series to not use catapult launching sequences.
  • The show is often mistakenly called 'Gundam G' by unofficial and fan sources.
  • This series is the only one of those with a (Japanese) 'initial + Gundam' or 'Gundam + initial' logo/title card in which the full pronunciation of the titular mobile suit referenced by the initial - in this case the God Gundam - is not given (in katakana), cf. Z(eta) Gundam, V(ictory) Gundam and Gundam W(ing).
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • In the third opening animation for the series, director Yasuhiro Imagawa can be seen in one of the Neo Hong Kong crowds wearing a a red Next Generation era Starfleet uniform
  • There is a considerable number of spoilers and previews in the first opening. Master Asia, for instance, is featured prominently despite taking a long time before making an appearance or even being mentioned. In the beginning of the opening, a montage of five Gundams that appear to be GF13-017NJ Shining Gundam, GF13-006NA Gundam Maxter, GF13-003NEL John Bull Gundam, GF13-013NR Bolt Gundam and GF13-009NF Gundam Rose, some of which would only appear several episodes on. Additionally the Colony Devil Gundam is featured at the end of the opening, despite only appearing in the last few episodes.
  • It's been rumored that some of the sillier designs of the Gundams were made purely out of spite for Bandai/Sunrise's merchandise-driven policies as Imagawa disliked them (something he shared with Tomino).
  • 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.
  • Mobile Fighter G Gundam is the only representative of Gundam series in Super Robot Wars Neo (Nintendo Wii), as there are only Super Robot titles in the game, while G Gundam is the only Gundam series that categorized as Super Robot.

External links[]

References[]

  1. Mobile Fighter G Gundam Episode 2, Roar! The Certain Kill Punch Grasping Dreams
Preceded by:
Mobile Suit Victory Gundam
Production order
19931994
Succeeded by:
New Mobile Report Gundam Wing
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