Ryu Jose

From the The Gundam Wiki, the ultimate guide to Gundam

Ryu Jose (リュウ・ホセイ ,Ryū Hosei) is a fictional character from the 1979 anime series Mobile Suit Gundam. He was voiced by Shōzō Iizuka in the original Japanese version and by Ward Perry in the English dub.

Mobile Suit Gundam 0079

A large, stocky Latino man with a dusky complexion, Ryu was a test pilot-in-training for the Earth Federation on Side 7. When the colony was attacked by Char Aznable, Ryu took control of the Core Fighter jet to protect the White Base. Being a gentle, caring, considerate comrade, Ryu was the best mediator to ease the tension between the uptight Bright Noa and the young civilian recruits.

Ryu was killed during the White Base's attack from Crowley Hamon. A critically wounded Ryu (previously from firefights during Ramba Ral's attempted boarding attack) drove his Core Fighter kamikaze-style into Hamon's fighter in order to save the life of Amuro Ray as well as the crew of the White Base.

His death moves the entire crew of White Base to tears and the reality of war truly begins to sink in as everyone feels responsible for his death and even try to call to his spirit for advice later on. Amuro is also enraged when Ryu only gets a two-rank post-mortem promotion at Jaburo.