Alfred Izuruha

Alfred Izuruha (アルフレッド・イズルハ, Arufureddo Izuruha), commonly known as Al (アル, Aru), was an eleven-year-old boy living in the Ribo colony of neutral Side 6 during the final months of the One Year War.

Alfred’s encounter with Zeon pilot Bernard Wiseman and his neighbour Christina Mackenzie fundamentally changed his romanticised perception of warfare, transforming him from a war-obsessed child into someone who understood the true horror and tragedy of armed conflict.

Biography

Early life

Alfred was born on 20 September UC 0068 in the Ribo colony of Side 6, a neutral territory during the One Year War. He lived with his parents, Michiko Izuruha and Ems Izuruha, who worked for the Earth Federation in shipping operations. Alfred had a distant relationship with his father, who was frequently absent due to his work commitments.

As a fifth-grade student, Alfred was an average pupil with poor academic performance. He was openly disinterested in improving his grades and frequently got into mischief with his close friends Chay and Telcott. His hobbies included photography and video recording, skills that would later prove significant during the war.

Fascination with war

Living in a neutral colony, Alfred developed a romanticised view of warfare and was fascinated by the conflict that raged outside his peaceful haven. He was particularly captivated by mobile suits, especially Zeon’s MS-06 Zaku II units, which he regarded as “cool”. Alfred and his friends regularly collected military paraphernalia and traded breathless stories about the ferocious battles taking place outside the neutral colonies of Side 6.

Alfred was also a compulsive liar who frequently fabricated facts or stories to make himself look better or to prevent himself from getting in trouble. This trait often put him at odds with his classmate Dorothy Hayes, who would challenge his claims about the war and mobile suits.

Encounter with Bernard Wiseman

In December UC 0079, Alfred’s life changed dramatically when he encountered a rookie Zeon pilot, Bernard “Bernie” Wiseman, whose MS-06FZ Zaku II Kai crashed in the Ribo colony after a brief battle with Federation forces. Alfred quickly developed a relationship with Bernie by exchanging photographs he had taken of the Federation’s suspicious cargo for Bernie’s Zeon badge.

After Bernie returned to Zeon, Alfred made frequent visits to Wiseman’s damaged Zaku, occasionally playing around in the cockpit. When Bernie returned as a member of the Cyclops Team on Operation Rubicon, Alfred initially tried to tail their trucks but was hit by Gabriel Ramirez Garcia. In response, Alfred told the local police about the team’s suspicious activities.

When Garcia threatened to shoot a police officer, Alfred quickly intervened by hugging Bernie and claiming that Wiseman was his “long lost brother”. The team’s leader, Hardie Steiner, questioned Alfred and learned that he had originally taken pictures of the Federation’s project and wished to join the war. Steiner gave Alfred a badge, making him an honorary member of the Cyclops Team.

Growing bonds

Alfred later introduced Bernie to his neighbour Christina Mackenzie, lying that Bernie was a stepbrother from one of his father’s previous relationships. Unbeknownst to Alfred, Christina was actually the test pilot for the RX-78NT-1 Gundam NT-1 “Alex” that the Cyclops Team had been sent to destroy.

In the hopes of helping the team, Alfred and Bernie snuck into the Federation facility to take more pictures of the Alex. Alfred gradually became closer to Bernie, treating him like an older brother and genuinely caring for his welfare.

Operation Rubicon

When the Cyclops Team’s MS-18E Kämpfer launched Operation Rubicon, Alfred witnessed first-hand the true nature and destruction of war as several civilians were caught in the crossfire. The entire operation went awry, and Alfred was shocked to see a wounded Bernie carrying the dying Captain Steiner after their failure to destroy the Alex.

Following Operation Rubicon’s failure, Bernie confessed to Alfred that the colony would face a nuclear strike unless the Alex was destroyed before Christmas Day. Initially, Bernie chose to flee the colony, much to Alfred’s anger as he shouted at Bernie for simply running away.

The final battle

After Bernie left, Alfred attempted to warn the local police of the impending nuclear attack but was met with deaf ears after his previous lie to an officer. While pondering what to do, Alfred received a surprise message from Bernie, who had returned to defeat the Alex and avert the attack. Alfred helped Bernie repair his broken Zaku and set up booby traps for the impending battle.

Before Bernie departed to fight the Alex, he gave Alfred a disc with instructions to view it only if he was killed. On the day of the battle, Alfred went with his mother to pick up his father from the spaceport, only to learn that the nuclear-armed Zeon fleet aiming for Ribo had been successfully intercepted by Federation forces.

Realising that Bernie no longer needed to risk the fight, Alfred rushed to the battle site and tried to stop Bernie from fighting the Gundam Alex. He arrived only to witness Bernie already locked in combat with the Alex and made several vain attempts to catch Bernie’s attention. The shell-shocked Alfred was horrified to see the Alex destroy the upper half of Bernie’s Zaku, incinerating Bernie instantaneously. To add further tragedy, he discovered that the Alex’s wounded pilot was none other than Christina.

Aftermath

After the battle, Alfred played the disc that Bernie had left for him. In his final message, Bernie told Alfred not to hate the Gundam pilot (Christina) or the Federation, as they were merely fighting for what they believed in. Later, as Alfred headed back to school, which had been damaged during Christina and Bernie’s fight, he encountered Christina as she prepared to return to Earth.

When Christina asked Alfred to say goodbye to Bernie for her, Alfred choked back tears and told her that he would be sorry Bernie missed her, keeping the tragic fate of Bernie to himself. He did not have the heart to tell her the truth that she had killed someone he genuinely cared about.

At school, during an assembly where the principal gave a speech about the costs of war, Alfred broke down in tears while listening, finally understanding that war was not “cool” but a terrible tragedy. When his friends, misunderstanding his grief, tried to reassure him that another “cool” war was bound to happen soon, Alfred’s traumatised silence spoke volumes about how profoundly the experience had changed him.

Personality and traits

Alfred was initially a typical eleven-year-old boy with a mischievous nature and poor academic performance. He was openly disinterested in his studies and preferred to fantasise about war and mobile suits. His compulsive lying often got him into trouble, as he would fabricate stories to make himself appear more important or knowledgeable.

Living in the neutral Side 6, Alfred had developed a completely romanticised view of warfare, seeing it as exciting and glamorous rather than understanding its true horror. He was particularly fascinated by mobile suits, especially the Zaku units used by Zeon forces.

Alfred’s personality underwent a dramatic transformation following the events of the One Year War. Having been exposed to the horrors of war and having lost someone he genuinely cared for in Bernard Wiseman, he no longer relished the idea of mobile suit combat or warfare. The innocent, war-obsessed child was replaced by someone who understood the true cost of armed conflict.

Skills and abilities

Alfred possessed natural curiosity and observational skills that served him well during his adventures. His hobbies of photography and video recording proved valuable when he documented Federation activities for the Cyclops Team. He demonstrated courage and loyalty when he helped Bernie repair his damaged Zaku and set up defensive measures for the final battle.

Despite his young age, Alfred showed remarkable resourcefulness in navigating the complex situations he found himself in during the war. His ability to think quickly was evident when he claimed Bernie was his stepbrother to deflect suspicion from Christina Mackenzie’s parents.

Relationships

Family

Alfred had a complicated relationship with his parents. His father, Ems Izuruha, worked for the Earth Federation and was often absent, creating a distant relationship between father and son. His mother, Michiko Izuruha, appeared more present in his daily life but was dealing with the strain of her husband’s frequent absences.

Bernard Wiseman

Bernard “Bernie” Wiseman became like an older brother to Alfred during the final days of the One Year War. Their relationship began when Alfred discovered Bernie’s crashed Zaku and developed into a genuine bond of friendship and mutual care. Bernie represented everything Alfred thought was exciting about war—a real mobile suit pilot from Zeon. However, their relationship ultimately taught Alfred the tragic reality of warfare when Bernie was killed in his final battle against the Gundam NT-1 Alex.

Christina Mackenzie

Christina Mackenzie was Alfred’s neighbour and former babysitter, serving as a big sister figure to him. Alfred had known her since childhood, and she represented stability and kindness in his life. The tragic irony that Christina was the pilot who killed Bernie in the final battle added another layer of trauma to Alfred’s experience, as he was forced to keep this devastating secret when Christina asked him to say goodbye to Bernie.

Friends

Alfred’s closest friends were Chay and Telcott, fellow students who shared his interest in collecting military paraphernalia and discussing the war. However, while his friends maintained their romanticised view of warfare, Alfred’s direct experience with its reality created a fundamental disconnect between them. At the story’s end, when his friends tried to cheer him up by saying another war would come soon, their words only highlighted how much Alfred had changed.

Behind the scenes

Alfred Izuruha was designed by Haruhiko Mikimoto as the protagonist of Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket. The character represented a departure from the typical Gundam protagonist, as Alfred was a civilian child rather than a mobile suit pilot, emphasising the series’ focus on war’s impact on ordinary people.

Voice actors

Alfred’s original Japanese voice actor was Daisuke Namikawa, who was twelve years old at the time of recording, making him the youngest voice actor in Gundam history. Because Namikawa’s voice deepened over the years, the role was recast with Kumiko Higa for future appearances in games such as Mobile Suit Gundam Climax UC. However, Namikawa returned to the franchise as the narrator for War in the Pocket scenarios in the SD Gundam G Generation game series, giving the impression that an adult Alfred was reminiscing about his past experiences.

The English dub was provided by Brianne Brozey.

Cultural references

The character’s name “Alfred” is possibly a reference to Alfred J. Kwak, a Dutch-Japanese anime series that was released the same year as War in the Pocket. At the end of the third episode of War in the Pocket, an image of Alfred Jodocus Kwak appears briefly on a soft drink machine, supporting this connection.

Impact and legacy

Alfred Izuruha became an iconic character representing the civilian perspective of war in the Gundam franchise. His transformation from war-obsessed child to traumatised survivor served as a powerful anti-war message, showing how conflict affects innocent bystanders. The character’s journey from excitement about warfare to understanding its true horror became one of the most emotionally powerful storylines in the Universal Century timeline.

Appearances

• Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket
• All That Gundam
• Gunpla Eve
• Gundam Build Fighters (Episode 23, cameo)

External links

• Alfred Izuruha on the Gundam Wiki
• Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket on MAHQ