New Gundam Show Could Hide Its Wild Twist In Plain Sight

Today, Bandai released another small new look Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuXthe next major entry in the venerable mecha franchise, born out of an unprecedented partnership between studio and studio. Neon Genesis Evangelion power center Khara. But within the small flashes of new footage are some very interesting glimpses of a new character, giving us a better idea of ​​what the new show is about… and the character might not be all that new.

New trailer for the theatrical compilation release GQuuuuXopening episodes, The beginning— which hits Japanese theaters next week on January 17 — features a few more looks at the series’ main characters, as well as the titular mobile suit. But one new character stands out: an old gentleman with blue-white hair and an olive suit. a lot interesting stylization on the shirt and collar. The uniform has distinct parallels to the official military uniform of one of the main factions in the original Mobile Suit Gundam and its successors – the separatist space colony Zeon – and thus the design of man, there is some mention of a particular, interesting character from the 1979 classic: Challia Bull, an important figure. Gundamis one of the first discoveries of the most interesting concepts, new types.

◤《This notification》 has been released◢

Theatrical advanced version “Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuuX -Beginning-“
7 days until release on Friday, January 17th!
Everyone, please watch it in the theater!

director:#Kazuya Tsurumaki
Theme Song:#Kenshi Yonezu「#Plasma」

▼Information about the theaterhttps://t.co/6b1RjC8iIt#KenshiYonezu#GQuuuuuuX #Sieg Axe pic.twitter.com/tSnxdapjsv

— Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX (@G_GQuuuuuX) January 9, 2025

Introduced in episode 39 the original series “The Newtype: Challia Bull,” Bull is a high-ranking Zeon officer recruited by the principality’s military commander, Ghiren Zabi, to be tested as one of the legendary newtypes. Believed to be a natural evolution after humans migrated into space – developing extrasensory enhanced perceptual abilities and, in some cases, latent psionic abilities – the new types were added late into the story of the original. Gundam. The word itself is only uttered a few episodes before Bull’s introduction, as various parties begin to believe it. GundamAmuro Ray, the main protagonist and antagonist, and Char Aznable (as well as the latter’s mysterious companion Lalah Sune) may be some of the earliest new types to develop as the war between the Earth Federation and Zeon continues.

But the exploration of the idea was short-lived: Bull was killed in a fight with Amuro in the episode he introduced, and Gundam It ended after a few episodes then it will come uncertain. It was only in later material GundamAs a franchise, the concept of a new type of future is further explored until it becomes the defining touchstone of the stories in its beloved core continuity, The Universal Age. Gundam and his direct heirs Zeta and ZZ Gundamas well as a number of other shows and movies from the franchise – both moving away from the struggles of interstellar conflict and exploring how humanity can better understand itself, as well as the tragedy of exploitation of new types at the hands of military powers. for the ruling classes continue the rounds from that conflict.

Gundam A franchise is no stranger to featuring UC elements in countless, often unrelated, alternate universes. available in the series. Many shows in the series often deal with ideas first explored in the Universal Age, such as the concept of a new species and humanity’s space-bound evolution, or offer their own versions of the story, although not in the same continuity, such as: Gundam X after the war or Gundam SEEDeven the latest Witch from Mercury. As such, many borrow elements of their design language, either for aesthetic parallels or to distantly associate themselves with the events of that original series. GQuuuuXas far as we can see, it’s no exception: the main suit uses an ax weapon, unlike the “hot hawk” used by Zakus in the original. Gundamand both this new trailer and previous announcement footage feature a mono-eyed police mobile suit that borrows a lot of design language from Zaku himself. It wouldn’t be like that too Surprisingly, this mysterious figure was a new character designed to parallel Challia Bull in both design and character – just how Gundam loves himself Char Clonethematic and design parallels of one of the most beloved figures across various iterations of the franchise.

But there is also an interesting possibility that this parallel raises – that the figure may simply be a form of Bull himself. When GQuuuuX first appeared, an early Italian version of the series’ promotional website was released (and then quickly retreated) brief plot synopsis for the series, indicating that the show itself is not an alternative Gundam universe, but alternate timeline: A version of the events of the Universal Age in which Zeon defeats the Earth Federation in a one-year war. What if this ends up happening GQuuuuX does, then there is a possibility that this character is the version of Bull that survived his encounter with Amuro and GQuuuuX Rather than abandoning it to its hastily scrapped fate from the original series, this version of the story might have more to say about its role in the awakening of a new typism.

Gundam the chronology is vast and complex, but the series has never attempted anything like an alternate timeline (there are various games and manga that explore the idea, but never one of the main anime entries). For a show announced in 2025 for the series’ 45th anniversary, a show dealing with this kind of reimagining of the Universal Century would be fitting, and if so, we I can’t wait to see What opportunity does Challia Bull or otherwise have with characters from the original series as she makes her turn in this lovely story.

Want more io9 news? Check when the latest is expected Marvel, Star Warsand Star Trek releases, why next The DC Universe in Film and TVand everything you need to know about its future Doctor Who.