Gundam Fans in Mourning as The Walking Gundam is Disassembled

Mobiel Suit Gundam is unfortunately shuttering one of its biggest and most legendary statues.

By Evan Valentine

For years, Mobile Suit: Gundam has had one of the biggest tributes to an anime that the medium has ever seen. The Walking Gundam of Gundam Factory Yokohama was able to take steps on its own, becoming a major attraction in Japan for both anime fans and those wanting to see a major spectacle. Unfortunately, the Gundam statue that was the biggest of the franchise to date reached its end date and it doesn't seem as though we'll be seeing the mech suit taking any more steps in the future.

The Walking Gundam first opened in December 2020, closing its doors on March 31st. Since it took its first steps, the Gundam statue has heralded close to two million visitors for those looking to honor the anime franchise. While this Walking Gundam might be done for, there are still several statues erected in Japan, though none that we know of that can walk on their own. Luckily, while the anime franchise is losing a major attraction, the franchise is continuing to create new anime stories that explore the Gundam universe. The popular mech series that began in the late 1970s will most likely continue for decades to come thanks to its ability to tell stories across realties and timelines. 

The Walking Gundam Has Stopped Walking

A new social media post highlights the disassembly of the Gundam statue, with the translation reading as such, "GUNDAM FACTORY YOKOHAMA – today's disassembly work. Following yesterday's right arm, the left arm armor, right front armor, and right waist part were removed. He is in the familiar pose of kneeling on his left knee during startup experiments. It is still a "life-size moving Gundam."

Luckily, Gundam fans will be able to celebrate the franchise several ways in 2024. In May, Mobile Suit Gundam: Seed Freedom, the biggest movie of the franchise to date, will be hitting North American theaters. On the home front, Netflix will be releasing a new Gundam anime series in Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem For Vengeance, a story that will take viewers back to the original universe that started it all. The upcoming anime adaptation has yet to reveal its release date, though it is set to be one of the biggest Gundam projects of the year.

How will you celebrate the life of the Walking Gundam? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of mobile suits. 

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