Interest Stacks

Piligrimage to Gundam's Universal Century

Anime
byTyrraell
Apr 07 2022, 1:44 AM | Updated Jun 20, 2023 4:56 AM
The franchise of Mobile Suit Gundam, and specifically it's Universal Century timeline (UC), is one of monumental value for the anime medium as a whole, since it is one of the first animated media that features the human tragedies and the fragility of the human psyche in wartimes, the basis of which are the production cast's memories from their childhood, as kids who had to grew up in the aftermath of World War 2, which you can definitely feel as undertones throughout the franchise's origins.

The series and episode count could seem daunting and tad overwhelming as count, hence why at the start of this list a few "hooks" of a shows will be included, which are fairly standalone by themselves, with shorter episode count, but still having the titular Gundam thematic hallmarks as a series. If you were doubtful about whether this show is for you, they are very good indicator whether you'll enjoy your time with the Universal Century timelines, which is dubbed the "main" timeline for a very good reason.
ONA, 2015Finished 4 eps, 18 min

In Universal Century 0079, forces of the Earth Federation and Principality of Zeon engage in a battle within the Thunderbolt Sector during the One Year War. This section of space—known for its constant strikes of electricity—proves to be a deadly battlefield, as Federation pilot Io Fleming leads a charge against Zeon's ace Daryl Lorenz and his squad of snipers. With the fighters on both sides proving to be formidable soldiers, neither side is willing to back down, fighting strategically amongst the remnants of colonies. But when Io gets a hold of a prototype Gundam, Daryl will have to make a sacrifice in order to obtain enough power to crush his enemy and ensure that Zeon is victorious, or watch as his comrades are slaughtered by a single man. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

StudioSunrise
SourceManga
7.94
60K

In year 0079 of the Universal Century, the Earth Federation initiates Operation Odessa—a full-scale assault to retake a major Ukrainian city from the Principality of Zeon. It is a success, and the remaining Zeon forces scatter across the globe. The Earth Federation gains the upper hand in the One Year War and deploys its ground troops around the planet to hunt down the stragglers. As part of the deployments, Ensign Shiro Amada is transferred to Southeast Asia to take command of the 08th MS Team—a special squadron of RX-79[G] Gundam Ground Type pilots. In their first guerilla operation, Shiro's team is tasked with distracting the Zeon forces while Federation ground troops locate a mysterious new Zeon weapon. Everything goes according to plan until Shiro runs into Aina Sahalin, an ace Zeon pilot he met in an earlier battle, during a skirmish. Their reunion weakens his resolve to continue fighting, and now the young commander Shiro must prove his loyalty to the Federation—or be branded a traitor. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

StudioSunrise
SourceOriginal
8.00
88K

Alfred Izuruha is a 10-year-old who lives in the neutral colony cluster of Side 6 and, like most boys his age, is obsessed with the war between the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon. Unbeknownst to him, Al's next-door neighbor, Christina, is the test pilot of a prototype Gundam being developed in secret by the Earth Federation in the colony. A Zeon Special Forces team is assembled and tasked with infiltrating the colony in order to either steal or destroy it. When a skirmish breaks out between the Federation and infiltrating Zeon forces, the fascinated Alfred stumbles upon a Zaku mobile suit that has been shot down, piloted by Zeon rookie Bernard "Bernie" Wiseman. After this encounter, the two start a mutual friendship, so Alfred can learn more about the war that interests him so much, and Bernie can acquire inside information about the colony to aid his team's mission. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

StudioSunrise
SourceOriginal
7.98
64K
TV, 1979Finished 43 eps, 24 min

It is year 0079 of the Universal Century. Mankind has moved to space, living in colony clusters known as "Sides." One of these Sides declares itself the "Principality of Zeon" and declares war on the Earth Federation, the governmental body currently ruling Earth. Using powerful humanoid robots known as "mobile suits," Zeon quickly gains the upper hand. Nine months into the conflict, the Earth Federation has developed its own powerful mobile suit called the Gundam. When Zeon launches an attack on the colony holding the Gundam, a 15-year-old civilian named Amuro Ray suddenly finds himself thrown into a conflict that will take him all across Earth and space, pitting him against the enemy's ace pilot, Char Aznable. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

StudioSunrise
SourceOriginal
7.76
139K

It is the year 0083 of the Universal Century. The rebellious Principality of Zeon has been defeated in the One Year War by the Earth Federation. However, a faction of Zeon remnants led by Aguille Delaz fled from the final battle, hiding themselves away. After three long years, they attempt to rise up once more, sending Delaz's ace pilot, Anavel Gato, to infiltrate a Federation research base to steal one of two secretly developed prototype Gundams along with its deadly nuclear warhead. Threatened by the rogue Gundam suit and seeking to retain peace, the Earth Federation mobilizes the newly developed Albion carrier to recover the stolen unit. Manned by the remaining test pilots, with rookie pilot Kou Uraki piloting the remaining prototype Gundam, the Albion and her crew are determined to stop Gato, retake the stolen Gundam, and prevent the Zeon remnants from starting another war. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

StudioSunrise
SourceOriginal
7.22
48K
TV, 1985Finished 50 eps, 24 min

It is Universal Century 0087, and the One Year War between the Earth Federation and Principality of Zeon is over. The Earth Federation has created an elite task force, known as the Titans, who are responsible for hunting the remaining Zeon forces. However, the power-hungry Titans have shown themselves to be no better than Zeon, spurring the creation of a rebellious faction called the Anti-Earth Union Group (AEUG). 17-year-old Kamille Bidan lives in the colony Green Noa, home to a Titan base. Kamille gets in trouble after assaulting a Titan officer, an event that coincides with an attack led by former Zeon ace Char Aznable, now known as AEUG pilot Quattro Bajeena. When Kamille steals a Titan's prototype Gundam, he soon finds himself in the middle of the dangerous conflict. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

StudioSunrise
SourceOriginal
7.89
79K
TV, 1986Finished 47 eps, 24 min

In Universal Century 0088, the Anti-Earth Union Group (AEUG) has emerged victorious in its war with the Earth Federation's Titans at the cost of devastating losses. Neo-Zeon, the third faction in the war formerly known as Axis Zeon, remains as powerful as ever. Led by Newtype Haman Karn, Neo-Zeon has been implementing plans to take over both Earth and the space colonies. The AEUG flagship Argama heads to the Side 1 colony Shangri-La for repairs. Living in the colony is Judau Ashta, a 14-year-old junk dealer who is struggling to make enough money to put his younger sister through school. Upon the discovery of an escape pod containing a former Titans pilot, Judau and his friends are quickly led to the Argama in hopes of stealing a mobile suit which they can sell for a fortune. However, with the arrival of a Neo-Zeon ship seeking to defeat the Argama, Judau and his friends are dragged into to a conflict that will bring them across space and Earth. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

StudioSunrise
SourceOriginal
6.66
46K
Movie, 1988Finished 1 ep, 119 min

The year is Universal Century 0093. Char Aznable has taken command of Neo Zeon, the rebels of outer space. He firmly believes that humankind can only achieve peace by relocating to space. Thus, he plans to crash the giant asteroid Axis into Earth and plunge the planet into an uninhabitable winter. Char also eagerly anticipates this opportunity to settle a 14-year rivalry with Amuro Ray. The two have been reluctant allies at times, but Char has never forgiven Amuro for causing the death of one of his comrades during the One Year War. Only the Earth Federation's Londo Bell Unit has the power to stop Char from fulfilling his dangerous goal. Leading the defense of Earth is veteran captain Bright Noa and Amuro Ray with the latest Nu Gundam mobile suit. In this thrilling conclusion to the original Gundam series, Londo Bell engages in a final conflict with Neo Zeon that will decide the fate of Earth and end this long-standing rivalry—once and for all. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

StudioSunrise
SourceNovel
7.68
53K
TV, 2016Finished 22 eps, 23 min

By the year 0096 of the Universal Century, a fragile peace emerges from the ashes of conflict. Sixteen-year-old student Banagher Links visits the Industrial 7 space colony on a school field trip, but because of a broken shuttle, he is left completely stranded. To Banagher, who has always lived a normal life, war had always been a distant, almost mythical part of history; but within minutes, fantasy becomes reality when he rescues a girl named Audrey Burne, who urgently needs to meet with the leader of the nearby Vist Foundation, Cardeas Vist. She hopes to persuade him to withhold the "Laplace's Box," an object that holds the potential to destroy the world. History is set in motion as galactic forces converge on Industrial 7, each vying for possession of the Laplace's Box. As Neo Zeon remnants clash with Earth Federation Forces around the colony, Cardeas, in his final moments, gives Banagher the key to the Box, a mobile suit dubbed "The Unicorn Gundam." Packed with explosive action and rising tension, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096 follows Banagher as his conviction is tested and the destiny that has laid dormant for more than a century is finally realized. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

StudioSunrise
SourceNovel
7.64
37K
Movie, 2018Finished 1 ep, 90 min

U.C. 0097, one year after the opening of "Laplace's Box." Despite the revelation of the Universal Century Charter that acknowledges the existence and rights of Newtypes, the framework of the world has not been greatly altered. The conflict later dubbed the "Laplace Incident" is thought to have ended with the downfall of the Neo Zeon remnants known as the Sleeves. In its final battle, two full psycho-frame mobile suits displayed power beyond human understanding. The white unicorn and the black lion were sealed away to remove this danger from people's consciousness, and they should now be completely forgotten. However, the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 03, which disappeared two years earlier, is now about to show itself in the Earth Sphere once more. A golden phoenix... named Phenex. (Source: Gundam.info)

StudioSunrise
SourceNovel
6.49
23K
Movie, 1991Finished 1 ep, 120 min

In the year 123 of the Universal Century, skirmishes between the Federation government and the rebel group Crossbones Vanguard echo across Earth's space colonies. One of these small battles breaks in the hometown of young Seabook Arno, forcing him and his friends to flee and ensnaring them in the political turmoil that is quickly evolving into an all-out war. Seabook meets Cecily Fairchild, granddaughter of the aristocrat Meitzer Ronah, who seeks to create a new political power called "Cosmo Babylonia." Using the Crossbone Vanguard as its muscle, the Ronah family schemes to restore aristocratic rule and establish an economic system that will benefit the nobility, thus devastating the quality of life for the common people of the Earth Sphere. Seabook is tasked with piloting the Gundam F91, a mobile suit created by his mother, and must choose between protecting the Federation's status quo or cooperating with Cecily to find a better way of life for all. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

StudioSunrise
SourceOriginal
6.60
35K
TV, 1993Finished 51 eps, 24 min

In the year 153 of the Universal Century, the tyrannical Zanscare Empire has taken hostile control over Side 2, a space colony outside of Earth's orbit. Following in the footsteps of the long expired Principality of Zeon and the more recent Crossbone Vanguard, Zanscare rules over its subjects with cruelty, routinely using a large guillotine for public executions. Living in Central Europe, space immigrant Üso Ewin joins the League Militaire, a militia made up of civilians frustrated with the Earth Federation's inability to combat the Zanscare Empire. Üso's latent abilities as a psychic Newtype awaken and allow him to pilot the Victory Gundam, the only mobile suit capable of holding off the elite BESPA forces of the Zanscare Empire. Hoping to protect his best friend Shakti Kareen and locate his parents within the ranks of the Federation, Üso fights on with the Victory, striving to bring an end to the empire's reign. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

StudioSunrise
SourceOriginal
6.71
30K
OVA, 2015Finished 6 eps, 71 min

In the year 0068 of the Universal Century, Casval Rem Deikun's life is thrown into chaotic disarray after the assassination of his father, a prolific figure in the crusade towards civil rights for people who live away from the Earth's surface. Casval and his sister Artesia receive aid from soldiers who were loyal to their father, and the siblings are whisked away from their home, separated, and thrown into a twisted fate that sees them come into their own as soldiers and adults. Years before stealing the name Char Aznable or his "Red Comet" moniker, Casval must contend with the rise of a militarized version of his father's ideology and his own vengeful nature as intergalactic war molds him into a legendary mobile suit pilot. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

StudioSunrise
SourceManga
DemographicShounen
8.33
77K

The year is Universal Century 0079. Oliver May is a technical officer in the Zeon 603rd Technical Evaluation Unit , in charge of testing new military technology. Stationed in the Jotunheim, a civilian transport ship that was converted into military use, Oliver must head into battle and experience the One Year War, only this time from the perspective of a weapon tester who struggles to make an impact on an evolving war during changing times. (Source: ANN)

StudioSunrise
SourceOriginal
6.52
17K
OVA, 2006Finished 3 eps, 28 min

Lieutenant Oliver May and the 603 Technical Division Unit aboard the Jotunheim continue testing and evaluating experimental weapons to aid the Zeon war effort against the Federation Forces. At the end of each experiment, the tale of the trials and tribulations faced by the weapon and its test pilot adds a small chapter to the long history of the One Year War (Source: ANN)

StudioSunrise
SourceOriginal
6.69
15K

MS igLoo 2 goes back to the first MS igLoo and tells the story of the Federation soldiers side that has to fight against the monstrous Zakus. Each episode tells a story of a different federation soldier that is cursed by a Death God that came down to earth with the Zakus and shows the desperate struggle against mobile suits with only conventional weapons such as tanks and missiles. Each soldier, fueled with revenge, and a Death God looming over their backs, fights against the odds that is the terrible might of a Zaku.

StudioSunrise
SourceOriginal
ThemeMecha
6.53
13K
ONA, 2020Finished 1 ep, 10 min

U.C. 0079 - A squadron of Zakus from the Principality of Zeon invades a neutral space colony. Amuro Ray reluctantly pilots the Gundam G40 prototype mobile suit to combat the threat, as well as Zeon ace pilot Char Aznable and his custom red Zaku II. (Source: ANN)

6.07
4.3K

More Like This

More

Challenge Interest Stacks

More

MyAnimeList Interest Stacks

43 Entries · 493 Restacks by MyAnimeList
45 Entries · 201 Restacks by MyAnimeList
49 Entries · 255 Restacks by MyAnimeList
94 Entries · 709 Restacks by MyAnimeList
79 Entries · 10289 Restacks by MyAnimeList
74 Entries · 8146 Restacks by MyAnimeList