Cima Garahau

Cima Garahau was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Principality of Zeon’s Marine Corps who became the commander of the Cima Fleet after being scapegoated for war crimes during the One Year War. She served as both an ally and antagonist to the Delaz Fleet during Operation Stardust in UC 0083.

Born in the Side 3 colony of Mahal, Cima was forced to conduct gas attacks on civilian colonies during the early stages of the One Year War, believing she was using sleeping gas when it was actually deadly G3 nerve gas. After the war ended, she was abandoned by Zeon and blamed for the war crimes, leading her and her loyal marines to become space pirates.

Biography

Early life and military career

Cima Garahau was born in UC 0048 in the Mahal colony of Side 3, which was under the control of the Principality of Zeon. She joined the Zeon military and served as an instructor at a military academy before being assigned to the Zeon Marine Corps. By UC 0078, she had risen to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was given command of a marine fleet composed mostly of conscripts from her home colony of Mahal and non-citizens.

Though the official commander of the fleet was Colonel Asakura, who was remotely appointed, Cima became the acting commander. The unit became known as Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) Cima, reflecting her de facto leadership of the forces.

One Year War

Operation British

During the opening stages of the One Year War in UC 0078, MAU Cima was ordered to carry out the injection of G3 nerve gas into defenceless colonies as part of Operation British. Cima and her subordinates believed they were using sleeping gas to evacuate the civilian population, but were horrified to discover they had actually deployed a deadly nerve agent that killed all the inhabitants.

This ordeal greatly traumatised Cima and her subordinates, but they still carried out the orders. According to some sources, Cima was the pilot of the MS-05 Zaku I that gassed Shiro Amada’s home colony in Side 2, though this detail varies between accounts.

Post-war abandonment

Late in the One Year War, the civilian population of Mahal was evacuated by the Zeon military so the colony could be converted into the Solar Ray laser weapon to use against the Earth Federation Forces. Because Colonel Asakura, who was in charge of the evacuation, did not keep records of where the population was sent, Cima and her men were left without any way to reconnect with their families.

Following the Battle of A Baoa Qu, MAU Cima gathered with other Zeon forces that refused to surrender at Karama Point. However, when some wanted to retreat to Axis, Asakura forbade MAU Cima from going, claiming that their actions during the gas attacks were a disgrace to the name of Zeon forces. Asakura replied that they may have come from the now dead Kycilia Zabi, and that they were a nuisance, before asking Cima and her fleet to take responsibility for their own actions.

Life as space pirates

Formation of the Cima Fleet

With nowhere left to return to and having become wanted B-class war criminals, MAU Cima—now simply known as the Cima Fleet—stayed in the Earth Sphere. For the next three years, they drifted in space as space pirates, with Cima’s resentment of Zeon continuing to grow. Her second-in-command, Deatroaf Kocsel, remained loyal to her throughout this period, and the fleet operated from the flagship Lili Marleen, a Zanzibar II-class cruiser.

The Cima Fleet consisted of the flagship Lili Marleen, five to seven Musai-class light cruisers, and Papua-class transport ships. Their mobile suit force numbered more than thirty MS-14F Gelgoog Marines, with Cima piloting a custom MS-14Fs Gelgoog Marine Commander Type painted in distinctive camouflage patterns.

Delaz Conflict

Recruitment by Delaz

When Aiguille Delaz developed Operation Stardust in UC 0083, he approached Cima as he needed the manpower that the Cima Fleet could provide. However, Delaz did not trust Cima, and for good reason. Cima, upon receiving the offer, planned her revenge—she would seem to accept Delaz’s plan, but would ultimately betray him, aiding the Earth Federation in crushing what seemed to be the final gasping breath of the Principality.

Cima secretly made contact with the Earth Federation, offering to act as a double agent within the Delaz Fleet in exchange for amnesty. She worked with Federation officers including Bask Om and Jamitov Hymen, providing intelligence about Delaz’s plans whilst maintaining her cover.

Combat with the Albion

During Operation Stardust, the Cima Fleet had several engagements with the crew of the assault carrier Albion and the pilot of the RX-78GP01 Gundam “Zephyranthes”, Kou Uraki. In one of these engagements, Cima was responsible for the death of the Albion’s captain, South Burning, leading Kou to develop a personal grudge against her.

The involvement of the Albion crew during a covert meeting between the Cima Fleet and the Federation battleship Birmingham resulted in the loss of Operation Stardust plans and further complicated Cima’s position as a double agent.

Final betrayal and death

In the waning days of Operation Stardust, Cima finally acted overtly. She seized the Delaz Fleet’s flagship Gwaden and executed Delaz on the bridge when he refused to call off the colony drop. However, the Albion crew arrived at the site after stealing the mobile weapon RX-78GP03 Gundam “Dendrobium”.

Despite Federation orders not to engage her, the Albion crew treated the Cima Fleet as an enemy to avenge South Burning. Cima was forced to defend her fleet with her recently received AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra mobile suit. However, she soon confronted Uraki in combat, who was now piloting the RX-78GP03. The agile AGX-04 was no match for the raw power of her sister mobile suit, and Cima’s short, tragic life was ended when her mobile suit was impaled on the mega beam cannon of the RX-78GP03 and it was fired at point-blank range.

Personality and character

Although Cima has a strong impression of a scheming, poisonous woman, her decisive character endeared her to her subordinates. Her harsh personality was greatly influenced by her traumatic experiences during the One Year War, particularly the gas attacks and the subsequent destruction of her home colony of Mahal.

While she had a harsh personality that did not tolerate any mismanagement, she also had strong feelings for her men in the Cima fleet, with whom she had shared hardships after the war, and this led to her popularity. Despite her reputation as a schemer, she genuinely cared for her subordinates and sought to protect them from further harm.

Cima’s experiences made her deeply resentful of Zeon and its ideals, leading her to work against her former comrades during Operation Stardust. However, her actions were ultimately motivated by a desire for justice and revenge against those who had used and abandoned her.

Skills and abilities

Cima was a highly skilled pilot, and even competed with South Burning, the ace of the Albion Corps. In the manga Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 Rebellion, she demonstrated such exceptional skill that she was able to overpower Anavel Gato aboard the AMX-002 Neue Ziel.

Beyond her piloting abilities, Cima showed great talent in commanding mobile suit units and fleet operations. She helped the Cima fleet, which was called “a group of rascals,” to become a powerful force. She was also a skilled strategist who, while continuing her pirate business, built her own connections and secured informal access to the Earth Federation Forces.

Cima was also noted for her negotiating skills, employing a mixture of hard and soft techniques to achieve her objectives. These skills served her well both as a space pirate and as a double agent working between the Delaz Fleet and the Earth Federation.

Mobile suits

MS-14Fs Gelgoog Marine Commander Type

During the early stages of Operation Stardust, Cima piloted a custom MS-14Fs Gelgoog Marine Commander Type painted in her personal colours. The unit featured enhanced mobility and manoeuvrability compared to the standard MS-14F Gelgoog Marine, with additional vernier thrusters and propellant tanks.

Late in the One Year War, her unit was given a unique camouflage pattern composed of many fine dots, which made gauging its shape on a monitor difficult. The paint itself also confused many different types of sensors. In The Mayfly of Space, Cima referred to her Gelgoog Marine Commander Type as “Marine Leiter” (マリーネ・ライター), German for “Marine Leader”.

AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra

Cima later switched to piloting the AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra, an advanced mobile suit developed by Anaheim Electronics. The highly agile unit was well-suited to her combat style, though it ultimately proved insufficient against the overwhelming firepower of the RX-78GP03 Gundam “Dendrobium” during their final battle.

Relationships

Deatroaf Kocsel

Deatroaf Kocsel served as Cima’s second-in-command and captain of the Lili Marleen. A large man from Mahal colony, he was extremely capable and able to accurately assess Cima’s behaviour and determine what instructions she wanted. He was the first person to call Cima “Master Cima,” though she initially instructed him to use “Commander Cima.” Despite their complicated relationship, Kocsel remained loyal to Cima throughout their time as space pirates.

Aiguille Delaz

Cima’s relationship with Aiguille Delaz was built on mutual distrust. Delaz recruited her for Operation Stardust but never fully trusted her motivations, whilst Cima viewed their alliance as an opportunity to exact revenge on Zeon. Their relationship ultimately ended when Cima executed Delaz aboard the Gwaden for refusing to halt the colony drop.

South Burning

Cima’s encounter with South Burning, the ace pilot of the Albion, resulted in his death during one of their engagements. This act created a lasting enmity between her and Kou Uraki, who sought to avenge his fallen captain.

Behind the scenes

Cima Garahau was voiced by Mari Mashiba in the original Japanese version of Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. In English dubs, she was voiced by Carol Stanzione in the OVA and Lisa Ann Beley in video games such as Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space.

Cima is remembered by Japanese fans for one of her lines in the anime: “ほら言わんこちゃない!” (“hora, iwankochanai!”, Kansai Japanese of “I told you so!”) As a result, it became commonly used even in standard spoken Japanese. The influence is still felt to a certain degree years later, as it is often heard from non-Kansai-based characters in various types of media.

The character design was influenced by her role as a tragic figure caught between conflicting loyalties and the consequences of war. Her distinctive appearance, including her long brown hair and folding fan, helped establish her as one of the more memorable characters from the UC 0083 era.

Legacy

In different manga and game adaptations, Cima’s fate varies significantly. In Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Hero of Stardust, she died under intensive fire from the orbital fleet after being abandoned by Bask Om. In Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 Rebellion, she survived by using a remotely operated Gerbera Tetra as a decoy and eventually departed for Jupiter with surviving members of her fleet, taking the alias “Ephemera Hunt.”

A Cima look-alike was featured in episode 8 of Gundam Build Fighters Try, alongside other famous female characters from the Gundam franchise. Her cultural impact extends beyond the series, with her catchphrase becoming part of popular Japanese culture.

Appearances

• Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
• Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: The Afterglow of Zeon
• Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory - The Mayfly of Space
• Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Mayfly of Space 2
• Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 Rebellion
• Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Hero of Stardust
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Gihren’s Greed
• Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Operation
• Mobile Suit Gundam U.C. ENGAGE

External links

• Cima Garahau on the Gundam Wiki
• Cima Garahau on Behind the Voice Actors