Mobile Suit Gundam’s Creator Talks History of One Troubling Series Theme

Mobile Suit Gundam has been continuing for decades, weaving anime stories that place the beloved mechs into various timelines, alternate realities, and space-faring battles. Over the course of the countless stories spun from the franchise, Gundam hasn’t been scared to explore controversial territory when it comes to its war-torn landscapes. In a recent interview, Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino shared his thoughts about why the anime franchise waded into a specific theme with some of its many tales. As was the case with the original Gundam anime that kicked things off, mech pilots could be any age and children entering the battlefield became a running theme for the franchise.

When Mobile Suit Gundam first debuted in the late 1970s, it featured the main character Amuro, a member of the Earth Federation that just so happened to find himself piloting one of the universe’s strongest machines. Despite having this weapon of war at his disposal, Amuro was only a teenager and was being placed into scenarios that would quickly eradicate any semblance of his childhood. Facing off against a skilled pilot in Char Aznable, Amuro had to go through some serious trials by fire to become the pilot he was meant to be. For many of the series, such as Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, teenagers and children have been on the front lines and Tomino has been well aware of this fact throughout the franchise’s history.

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Child Soldiers of Gundam

In an upcoming interview with Nippon Broadcasting, Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino stated that the creation of Amuro and many other child soldiers in the series was thanks to the Pacific War, “I was well aware of the existence of child soldiers at the end of the Pacific War. I knew that when you turn 16, you can go to training school to become a tank crew member, and I also knew that in the case of the Navy, child soldiers were on board the Yamato battleship at the end of the war. Some people ask me why I let children participate in the war, but I wanted people to be aware of these facts, so I made a conscious effort to put a boy named Amuro in Gundam.”

A recent example of child soldiers debuting in the Gundam series was thanks to the popular Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury. While the series wasn’t as focused on war as the original anime outing of the franchise, Suletta Mercury found herself placed into quite a few battles while piloting her outlaw mech. Following its successful anime seasons, The Witch From Mercury has seemingly ended its story for good but that hasn’t stopped the mech franchise from promoting new projects in the series’ future.

How Do You Spell GQuuuuuuX?

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX is one of the next big anime series that will feature the beloved anime mechs and it just so happens to have Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno at the helm. Much like the pilots of NERV, GQuuuuuuX will feature teenage pilots hopping into the mechs’ cockpits as it has been confirmed that the upcoming anime will focus on the story of high schooler Amate Yuzuriha. As the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise continues, it’s a safe bet that child soldiers will be a running theme for the franchise.

Want to stay up to date on any and everything related to the Gundam universe? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the mech series and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

Via Oricon