Banagher Links

Banagher Links was a student at Anaheim Electronics Industrial College who became the pilot of the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam during the Laplace Incident of UC 0096. Born as the illegitimate son of Cardeas Vist, he was thrust into the conflict between the Earth Federation and Neo Zeon remnants known as the Sleeves when he encountered Mineva Lao Zabi at Industrial 7.

Biography

Early life

Banagher was born in UC 0080 in Side 1, 003 Eden, as the illegitimate child of Anna Links and Cardeas Vist, head of the Vist Foundation. As a child, Cardeas told him the story of the unicorn, and both the art and the animal captured his imagination. Cardeas subjected Banagher to a series of tests to gauge his Newtype capabilities, though the exact nature of these tests was never clearly explained.

When Anna discovered that Cardeas was testing their son, she decided not to allow Cardeas to guide Banagher under the Vist Foundation any further and took custody of him. Due to Banagher being so young when he left the Vist Foundation and his father, he eventually forgot his Vist heritage and lived life as a normal boy. After Anna’s death, an unknown benefactor—later revealed to be Cardeas—provided for Banagher’s education at Anaheim Electronics Industrial College.

Student life at Industrial 7

By UC 0096, Banagher was living the normal life of a sixteen-year-old student studying at the Anaheim Electronics Industrial College in the Technology Department’s Faculty of Research Development at the Industrial 7 space colony. He hoped to enter the ranks of Anaheim and develop the area around Jupiter. Banagher had a part-time job clearing space debris with construction mobile suits and viewed war as something akin to fiction, having been born after the One Year War ended.

Meeting Audrey Burne

Banagher’s life changed dramatically when he rescued a young woman falling from the central axis of Industrial 7. Using a TOLRO-800 “Torohachi” petite mobile suit, he caught up with and rescued the woman, who introduced herself as “Audrey Burne”—actually Mineva Lao Zabi, the Princess of Zeon. Despite her attempts to keep him at distance, Banagher volunteered to help her reach the Colony Builder to prevent a war.

During their journey, they encountered Marida Cruz and her men, who attempted to apprehend Mineva. Banagher fought them off single-handedly, impressing Mineva with his combat skills. He brought Mineva to the Vist Foundation mansion, where she sought to convince Cardeas Vist not to hand over Laplace’s Box to the Sleeves.

The Laplace Incident

When Neo Zeon forces attacked Industrial 7, Banagher witnessed the death of his friends and searched for Mineva. He discovered the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam in the Vist Foundation facilities with a fatally wounded Cardeas in its cockpit. In his final moments, Cardeas revealed himself as Banagher’s father and entrusted the Unicorn Gundam to him, as the mobile suit was biometrically locked to Banagher.

Banagher launched in the Unicorn Gundam to confront Marida Cruz in the NZ-666 Kshatriya. During the battle, the NT-D System activated, transforming the Unicorn into Destroy Mode and allowing Banagher to defeat the Kshatriya despite his lack of formal training. He was subsequently captured and taken aboard the SCVA-76 Nahel Argama.

Conflict with the Sleeves

Banagher was interrogated by Daguza Mackle of the ECOAS Special Forces, who threatened him with capital punishment for taking a military mobile suit. When Full Frontal attacked in the MSN-06S Sinanju, Banagher launched again to protect the ship and Mineva. Though he managed to damage the Sinanju, he was captured by the Sleeves and taken to the asteroid Palau.

At Palau, Banagher was interrogated by Full Frontal, who revealed his face to be identical to Char Aznable’s. Full Frontal attempted to convince Banagher to join Neo Zeon’s cause, but Banagher refused, arguing against terrorism and the taking of lives. He was placed under the care of Suberoa Zinnerman and Marida Cruz.

Return to the Federation

When the Federation attacked Palau, Banagher escaped in the Unicorn Gundam and was extracted by Riddhe Marcenas in the MSN-001A1 Delta Plus. During his escape, he again fought Marida in the Kshatriya, and through their telepathic connection during battle, he learned of her tragic past as a Cyber Newtype.

Banagher was assigned to help locate Laplace along with Daguza Mackle. At the ruins of Laplace, they were attacked by Sleeves forces led by Full Frontal. During the battle, Mackle was killed by Full Frontal, enraging Banagher and causing the NT-D to activate. In his fury, Banagher accidentally killed Gilboa Sant whilst aiming for Full Frontal, causing both him and Full Frontal to fall into Earth’s atmosphere.

Earth operations

The Unicorn crash-landed in a desert where Banagher was rescued by the crew of the Garencieres. Captain Zinnerman helped him cope with the trauma of accidentally killing Gilboa during a four-day journey to an oasis. When they reached the Battle of Torrington, Banagher witnessed Loni Garvey in the AMA-X7 Shamblo destroying the city.

Banagher convinced Zinnerman to let him launch and attempted to stop Loni without harming her. When his negotiations failed, he activated the Unicorn’s Destroy Mode, creating a psycho-field with the Shamblo. Despite his efforts to save her, Riddhe ultimately killed Loni with Banagher’s beam magnum, devastating him.

Final confrontation

Banagher was captured by the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee piloted by Marida, who had been reconditioned by Martha Vist Carbine. During a battle above a Garuda-class carrier, Banagher fought Marida whilst trying to reach her humanity. Their psycho-frames resonated, creating a green glow that allowed both the Nahel Argama and Garencieres to escape.

In the final battle at Industrial 7, Banagher confronted Full Frontal in the NZ-999 Neo Zeong. Using the full power of his Newtype abilities and the Unicorn’s psycho-frame, he created a psycho-field that transported him and Full Frontal through time and space, showing Full Frontal the possibilities of humanity. After Full Frontal’s defeat, Banagher helped open Laplace’s Box, revealing the truth about the Universal Century Charter and Newtypes’ intended role in government.

Post-Laplace Incident

Following the Laplace Incident, Banagher and Mineva sealed away the Unicorn Gundam, believing it too dangerous to remain active. In UC 0097, during the events surrounding the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex, Banagher appeared piloting the ARX-014S Silver Bullet Suppressor to assist Jona Basta in stopping Zoltan Akkanen and the II Neo Zeong.

Personality & traits

Banagher was a well-meaning young man who constantly felt “disjointed” and searched for a deeper purpose in life until he met Mineva and the Unicorn Gundam. He cared deeply about the safety and well-being of others, regardless of whether they were fighting with or against him. As a result of his good-natured personality, he often tried to hold back when fighting opponents, resorting to non-lethal methods of subduing them.

He could be naive at times, such as when he considered handing Laplace’s Box to the Sleeves without understanding its contents or consequences. Despite this, he held the belief that people’s identities and actions were not bound by blood or family ties, and that people should have the freedom to find their own path in life. This was reflected in his insistence on calling Mineva “Audrey” despite knowing her true identity.

Ironically, Banagher questioned what his father had in mind when giving him the Unicorn Gundam and how he intended Banagher to overcome the obstacles before him. When he felt lost or questioned whether what he was doing was right or wrong, he hesitated to take action. However, when he understood what needed to be done, he displayed an iron will with little regard for his own safety.

Skills & abilities

Banagher was proficient in piloting petite mobile suits, which could be attributed to his education at Anaheim’s Technical College. He had some knowledge of mobile suit troubleshooting and piloting, making it easier for him to understand the Unicorn Gundam’s control systems. He also had very sharp eyes and was a relatively fit teenager who displayed proficiency in hand-to-hand combat.

Newtype abilities

Banagher was portrayed as a Newtype with extraordinarily high potential. He was instantly able to control the Unicorn in Destroy Mode during his first time in the cockpit, effectively dodging beams from numerous funnels and defeating the Kshatriya in one-on-one combat.

By UC 0096, Banagher was already quite spatially aware, able to sense Mineva in danger and the negative intent of the Sleeves at Industrial 7. He entered several scenarios where he clearly communicated telepathically with others on the battlefield, some of them already deceased. Despite the malicious intent apparently programmed into the NT-D, Banagher learned to exert his will strongly enough to resist the psycommu’s influence.

His brainwaves reached supernatural levels, which, combined with the Unicorn Gundam’s extensive psycho-frame, manifested physically. They had enough power to move or destroy nearby solid objects and eventually enabled the use of the Full Armor Unicorn’s shields as remote weapons by manipulating the psycho-frame. Upon mastering both the NT-D and his own powers, the psycho-frame of the Unicorn Gundam changed from red to green, responding to the growing magnitude of his Newtype ability.

Relationships

Mineva Lao Zabi

Banagher met Mineva when she was using the alias “Audrey Burne” and instantly became devoted to her. He continued calling her “Audrey” even after learning her true identity as the Princess of Zeon, caring little about her status as heir to the Zabi name. Their relationship developed throughout the conflict, with Banagher’s determination to protect her driving many of his actions.

Cardeas Vist

Banagher had forgotten his father until their reunion at Industrial 7. Cardeas entrusted the Unicorn Gundam to Banagher in his final moments, revealing their family connection. Despite the brief nature of their reunion, Cardeas’s actions and words had a profound impact on Banagher’s development as both a pilot and a person.

Marida Cruz

Initially enemies, Banagher and Marida developed a complex relationship through their telepathic connections during battle. He saw her tragic past as a Cyber Newtype and consistently tried to reach her humanity, even when she was turned against him as the Banshee pilot.

Daguza Mackle

Though initially antagonistic, Mackle became something of a mentor figure to Banagher, teaching him about responsibility and the weight of his actions. Mackle’s death at the hands of Full Frontal had a significant impact on Banagher’s character development.

Mecha

RX-0 Unicorn Gundam

Banagher’s primary mobile suit was the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam, designed by his father and biometrically locked to him. The Unicorn could transform into Destroy Mode through the NT-D System, dramatically increasing its performance. Banagher’s exceptional Newtype abilities allowed him to unlock the mobile suit’s full potential, eventually causing its psycho-frame to glow green instead of the usual red.

The Unicorn served as the key to Laplace’s Box, guiding Banagher to the coordinates of each seal through the La+ Program. His growing mastery of both the mobile suit and his Newtype powers allowed him to perform seemingly impossible feats, including manipulating the psycho-frame to connect cables between ships and creating powerful psycho-fields.

ARX-014S Silver Bullet Suppressor

Following the sealing of the Unicorn Gundam, Banagher piloted the ARX-014S Silver Bullet Suppressor, a modified version of the Silver Bullet designed to suppress Newtype abilities. He used this mobile suit during the incident involving the Phenex and Zoltan Akkanen.

Full mecha list

• TOLRO-800 “Torohachi” — used during rescue of Mineva
• RX-0 Unicorn Gundam — primary mobile suit during Laplace Incident
• RX-0 Full Armor Unicorn Gundam — upgraded configuration
• ARX-014S Silver Bullet Suppressor — post-Laplace Incident mobile suit

Behind the scenes

Banagher Links was created by Harutoshi Fukui for the Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn novel series. His character design was handled by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko for the anime adaptation.

The character bears similarities to Amuro Ray, as both pilots received their Gundams from their fathers and became involved in major conflicts despite being civilian teenagers. The name “Banagher” is a common place name in Ireland.

Voice acting

Banagher was voiced by Kōki Uchiyama in Japanese and Steve Staley in English. This was Staley’s third Gundam protagonist role, and notably, all three of his Gundam protagonists had love interests from antagonist factions.

Appearances

• Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (2010-2014)
• Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096 (2016)
• Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative (2018)