Ask John: What Is The Difference Between The Different Gundam Series?

Question:
Since Gundam has been on Cartoon Network, I have really gotten into it and was wondering if you could explain the differences between Gundam Wing, Gundam 0083, Gundam Endless Waltz, Gundam X and any others that I forgot?

Answer:
For the sake of convenience, I’m going to disregard the near 200 Gundam and Gundam related video games, the various manga series, the Hobby Japan spin-offs and focus only on the Gundam animation proper. To further simplify things, allow me to separate the Gundam UC continuity from the non-continuity series.

The original Mobile Suit Gundam television series lasted for 43 episodes and premiered on April 7, 1979. The total number of episodes seems odd because, actually, the series was not a commercial or popular success at first and was canceled after 43 episodes. Die-hard fan support helped to revive the series. After this first TV series went off the air in 1980, it was condensed and re-released theatrically as the first three Gundam movies. This seminal story established the story that would continue to progress until the V Gundam television series and cover the time-frame of UC 0079 until UC 0153. After the conclusion of the MS Gundam TV series in 1980, the series lay dormant until the popular 50 episode Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam TV series premiered in 1985. Z Gundam was directly followed by the 46 episode Gundam ZZ (Gundam Double Zeta) TV series. The personal conflict between Amuro Rei and Char Aznable that began in the original Gundam came to its conclusion in the 1988 fourth Gundam movie, Char’s Counterattack, arguable the best of all Gundam anime. The 1989 Gundam 0080 OAV series was the first hint of the forthcoming onslaught of new Gundam anime that lay on the horizon. (UC)0080, as its title implies, was set during the very end of the first Gundam TV series, detailing the final battle of the “One Year War.” The fifth Gundam movie, 1991’s MS Gundam F-91 was set 20 years after the conclusion to Char’s Counterattack. Later in 1991, the 0083 OAV series detailed the events that occurred during the period of time between the first and second Gundam TV series. Gundam 0083 was later condensed, and some minor transitional animation was added to create a 0083 theatrical feature. The UC continuity concluded chronologically in 1993 with the premier of the 52 episode V (Victory) Gundam series. In 1996 the franchise went backward again with the introduction of the 13 volume Gundam 08th MS Team OAV series. In 1998 the first half of the MS 08 series was re-released theatrically as a double-feature with the Gundam Wing movie.

Mobile Fighter G Gundam, the first non-continuity Gundam anime, premiered in 1994 and ran for 49 episodes. Exactly 16 years after the premier of the first episode of MS Gundam, the first episode of New Mobile Report Gundam Wing premiered on April 7, 1995. Once again, Gundam W introduced a new universe and a new time-line unrelated to any of the previous Gundam anime. Also, by loosely cannibalizing many ideas from the classic MS Gundam and Zeta Gundam series, Gundam Wing managed to become, by quite a wide margin, the best Gundam TV series of the 1990s. The 49 episode Gundam W TV series was followed, in 1997, by the three episode Gundam W: Endless Waltz OAV series, a direct continuation of the television series story. The following year, the three Gundam W OAVs were edited together with several minutes of new footage to make a theatrical feature. The conclusion of the Gundam W TV series in March 1996 was directly followed, the next month, by the premier of After War Gundam X, yet another self-contained, new continuity series. Due to poor ratings, Gundam X was canceled after managing to survive for 39 episodes. Turn A Gundam then premiered in Japan on April 2, 1999 and broadcast 51 episodes. In early 2002 the Turn A Gundam TV series was condensed into a pair of theatrical movies, “Turn A Gundam: Chikyu-ko” and “Turn A Gundam: Gekko-cho.” The alternate universe Mobile Suit Gundam Seed series premiered on Japanese television and broadband streamling broadcast online on October 5, 2002.

Article updated October 30, 2002.