Chan Agi

Chan Agi (チェーン・アギ, Chēn Agi) was a talented engineer and mobile suit designer who worked for Anaheim Electronics and served with Londo Bell during the Second Neo Zeon War in Universal Century 0093. She collaborated closely with ace pilot Amuro Ray on the development of the RX-93 ν Gundam and became romantically involved with him during the conflict.

Biography

Background

Chan Agi joined Anaheim Electronics as an engineer, where her technical expertise in mobile suit development caught the attention of the company’s military development division. Her assignment to the Londo Bell task force brought her into contact with legendary pilot Amuro Ray, with whom she would collaborate on creating his next-generation mobile suit.

Development of the ν Gundam

Chan worked as the lead engineer for the RX-93 ν Gundam development project. Unlike previous Gundams, the ν Gundam incorporated Amuro’s extensive combat experience directly into its design from the conceptual stage. Chan facilitated this unprecedented collaboration between pilot and engineering team, translating Amuro’s tactical requirements into engineering specifications.

The ν Gundam’s revolutionary Psycho-Frame technology – a system that integrated psycho-communication materials into the mobile suit’s internal frame structure – represented the pinnacle of their collaborative work. Chan’s engineering expertise made Amuro’s vision of a mobile suit that could respond directly to a Newtype pilot’s thoughts into reality.

Second Neo Zeon War

When Char Aznable launched his campaign to force humanity’s evolution by rendering Earth uninhabitable, Chan served aboard the Ra Cailum, Londo Bell’s flagship commanded by Captain Bright Noa. Her role extended beyond engineering into tactical support, monitoring mobile suit performance and coordinating repairs during combat operations.

Relationship with Amuro

Throughout the conflict, Chan developed romantic feelings for Amuro, which he reciprocated. However, their relationship remained complicated by Amuro’s lingering emotional connection to Lalah Sune, the Newtype he had killed during the One Year War, and his complex history with Char. Chan struggled with her jealousy and insecurity, particularly when Quess Paraya, a powerful young Newtype, became fixated on Amuro.

Final Mission

During the climactic battle to prevent Axis from dropping onto Earth, Chan piloted the RGZ-91 Re-GZ to provide support for Amuro in his ν Gundam. She pursued Quess Paraya, who had defected to Neo Zeon and piloted the massive α Azieru mobile armour.

In a tragic confrontation, Chan engaged Quess whilst Amuro fought Char. When Hathaway Noa, who had stowed away aboard the Re-GZ and was infatuated with Quess, seized control of the Re-GZ’s weapons, he accidentally killed Quess whilst trying to protect her from Chan’s attack. In the ensuing chaos, Quess’s dying funnel attack struck and killed Chan.

Chan’s death had profound consequences – it devastated both Amuro and Hathaway, and removed one of Amuro’s emotional anchors during his final confrontation with Char. Her sacrifice, like many during the war, went unnoticed amidst the larger cataclysm of the Axis Drop.

Personality

Chan was characterised by her professional competence, emotional maturity, and genuine concern for Amuro’s wellbeing. Despite her strong feelings for him, she recognised his psychological burdens from the One Year War and attempted to support him whilst managing her own insecurities about their relationship.

Her interactions with Quess Paraya revealed Chan’s more vulnerable side—she felt threatened by the young Newtype’s power and her effect on Amuro, leading to the tragic confrontation that claimed both their lives. This jealousy, whilst human and understandable, contributed to the chain of events that led to her death.

Professionally, Chan commanded respect from the Ra Cailum’s crew and worked effectively with Captain Bright Noa, demonstrating tactical awareness beyond typical engineering personnel. Her willingness to pilot the Re-GZ into combat showed her commitment to supporting Amuro and Londo Bell’s mission.

Legacy

Chan’s contributions to mobile suit development, particularly the ν Gundam and its Psycho-Frame system, influenced all subsequent mobile suit design in the Universal Century timeline. The Psycho-Frame technology she helped develop would appear in numerous mobile suits throughout the UC 0090s and beyond, though its full potential – demonstrated during the Axis Shock phenomenon – remained incompletely understood.

Her death, along with Quess Paraya’s, exemplified the personal tragedies that occurred even within the “victory” of stopping Axis’s descent. For Hathaway Noa, witnessing Chan’s death and his role in Quess’s demise traumatised him profoundly, setting events in motion that would lead to his later actions in Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway.

Behind the Scenes

Chan Agi was created by director Tomino Yoshiyuki for Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack. Her character served several narrative functions:

Provided a human, emotional anchor for Amuro Ray that contrasted with his otherworldly Newtype abilities
Represented the “normal” human perspective caught up in conflicts between Newtypes
Created dramatic tension through the love triangle with Quess Paraya
Demonstrated that engineering expertise and tactical skill couldn’t always overcome Newtype powers

Character designer Yasuhiko Yoshikazu designed Chan to appear professional and mature, contrasting deliberately with Quess’s youthful, emotional design. This visual distinction reinforced their different relationships with Amuro and their opposing approaches to life and warfare.

The decision to kill both Chan and Quess during the climax reinforced the film’s themes about the cost of conflict and the tragedy of individuals caught in the machinations of leaders like Char Aznable. Tomino has noted that Chan’s death was meant to demonstrate that professionalism and good intentions couldn’t protect people from the consequences of war.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack

External links

Chan Agi on the Gundam Wiki