Four Murasame – MechaBay | Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam

Four Murasame was a Cyber-Newtype pilot who served the Titans during the Gryps Conflict. She was the designated pilot of the massive MRX-009 Psycho Gundam mobile armor and became tragically involved with AEUG pilot Kamille Bidan.

Four’s real name and past before her modification remained unknown. She was given the designation “Four” as she was the fourth Cyber-Newtype to emerge from the Murasame Research Lab, which erased all her previous memories and replaced them with enhanced psychic abilities and severe psychological trauma.

Biography

Early life and modification

After the One Year War, the young girl who would become Four Murasame lost her family, most likely as casualties of the conflict. After spending an unspecified time as a war orphan, she was adopted by the Murasame Research Lab, a facility operated by the Earth Federation Forces for Cyber-Newtype development.

The scientists in charge of the project systematically erased all her memories from her previous life and designated her only by her subject number, “Four”. Namicar Cornell, the nurse responsible for her care, convinced Four that working with the Titans and fighting the AEUG was the only way she could recover her lost memories. However, this promise was ultimately revealed to be a lie—restoring her memories was physically impossible due to the extent of the neurological modifications.

The enhancement process gave Four tremendous psychic powers and exceptional mobile suit piloting abilities, but at a severe cost. She suffered from chronic brain damage that manifested as excruciating headaches, which could only be alleviated by powerful medication. The psychological trauma also left her mentally unstable, prone to fits of violent insanity whilst piloting the Psycho Gundam.

Hong Kong encounter

Four first encountered Kamille Bidan in New Hong Kong during June UC 0087. The Karaba flagship Audhumla had docked for supplies after escaping from Kennedy Spaceport, and Four went for a stroll despite her orders. She met Kamille, an AEUG pilot, without knowing he was technically her enemy.

This encounter proved pivotal for Four, as Kamille was the first person to regard her as an individual rather than a living weapon or a girl without memories. After Kamille tended to her during one of her enhancement-induced seizures, they spent the afternoon together and shared a kiss. For the first time, Four experienced genuine human connection and affection.

The peaceful moment was shattered when the truth about Kamille’s allegiance was revealed. Despite her feelings for him, Four felt compelled to pilot the giant Psycho Gundam and attack both Kamille and the city. Her desperate desire to recover her memories and become a complete person took precedence over their relationship. Although Kamille tried desperately to calm her and convince her to join the AEUG, Four could not bring herself to defect from her mission.

After the battle, Four helped Kamille and his RX-178 Gundam Mk-II escape back into space. During this action, the Psycho Gundam was severely damaged and Four was presumed killed in an explosion.

Kilimanjaro and final battle

Four and the Psycho Gundam survived the Hong Kong incident and were taken to the Titans base at Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. There, the mobile armor was repaired and equipped with an experimental “psycho-control chair” that further enhanced Four’s abilities to control the machine. Unfortunately, Four was forced to undergo additional medical experiments to increase her powers, which nearly caused her to lose her memories of Kamille.

In November UC 0087, the AEUG and Karaba launched a joint attack on the Kilimanjaro base. The assault was led by Amuro Ray and supported by Kamille Bidan and Quattro Bajeena. When Kamille discovered that Four was still alive, he infiltrated the Titans base to rescue her, despite Amuro Ray’s warnings that they would be forced to fight each other.

Four was initially glad to see Kamille, but the psychological damage from her treatments and mental instability created a significant barrier between them. She suffered from severe headaches and the brainwashing had turned her against Kamille once again. Namicar Cornell, when cornered, revealed the cruel truth that the promise of restoring Four’s memories had been nothing more than a manipulation tactic.

Despite her feelings for Kamille, Four was forced to fight against him once more in the Psycho Gundam. In the climactic battle, she ultimately sacrificed herself to save Kamille from a surprise attack by Jerid Messa. She died in Kamille’s arms from the injuries she sustained, finally freed from her tormented existence.

In her final words, Four comforted the grieving Kamille by telling him she was finally free from her horrible life. She asked him not to grieve for her and promised to watch over him. True to her word, during the final battle against the Titans, the spirit of Four appeared alongside Emma Sheen, Rosamia Badam, Sarah Zabiarov, and Katz Kobayashi to help Kamille in his fight against Paptimus Scirocco.

Personality and traits

Four possessed a fundamentally kind and gentle nature that persevered despite the psychological trauma inflicted upon her. When not under the influence of her enhancement-induced instability, she displayed the characteristics of a normal, energetic young woman. However, the Cyber-Newtype modifications had severe psychological consequences.

The enhancements made Four extremely unstable, prone to fits of violent insanity that drove her to attack indiscriminately when piloting the Psycho Gundam. She experienced severe headaches as a result of the brain damage from her modifications, and these could only be relieved through powerful medication. She particularly disliked being called “Number Four” or having anyone discuss her past or memories.

Despite these afflictions, Four desperately wanted to recover her lost memories and become a complete person rather than remain a living weapon. She admitted to Kamille that she felt like a “different person” whenever she piloted the Psycho Gundam, as the mobile armor’s negative emotional stimulus systems pushed her into battle rage.

Her relationship with Kamille represented the first genuine human connection she had experienced since her modification. Through him, she glimpsed what normal life could be like, which made her eventual fate all the more tragic.

Skills and abilities

As a Cyber-Newtype, Four possessed artificially enhanced psychic abilities that allowed her to interface with psycommu systems. These modifications gave her exceptional mobile suit piloting skills and the ability to control the massive MRX-009 Psycho Gundam mobile armor through thought alone.

The Psycho Gundam could only be operated by Cyber-Newtypes due to its complex psycommu system, making Four one of the few pilots capable of utilising its overwhelming firepower effectively. Her enhanced abilities allowed her to control multiple weapon systems simultaneously and coordinate complex attack patterns.

However, these artificial enhancements came at a significant cost. Unlike natural Newtypes, Cyber-Newtypes like Four suffered from severe psychological and neurological side effects that limited their operational effectiveness and caused tremendous personal suffering.

Relationships

Kamille Bidan

Four’s relationship with Kamille Bidan was the most significant connection of her brief life. Their initial meeting in New Hong Kong represented the first time anyone had treated Four as a person rather than a weapon or test subject. Kamille’s genuine care and affection gave Four a glimpse of what normal human relationships could be like.

Despite being on opposing sides of the Gryps Conflict, their connection transcended political allegiances. Kamille repeatedly attempted to save Four from the Titans and convince her to join the AEUG, recognising her fundamental humanity beneath the psychological conditioning.

Their tragic love story became a defining element of Kamille’s character development, particularly after Four’s sacrifice to save his life. Her death significantly impacted Kamille’s psychological state and his approach to the ongoing conflict.

Namicar Cornell

Namicar Cornell served as Four’s primary caretaker at the Murasame Research Lab. While presented as a caring nurse, Namicar was ultimately complicit in Four’s psychological manipulation. She convinced Four that fighting for the Titans was the only way to recover her memories, when in fact the restoration of those memories was impossible.

Mecha

MRX-009 Psycho Gundam

Four’s primary mobile weapon was the MRX-009 Psycho Gundam, a massive transformable mobile armor developed specifically for Cyber-Newtype pilots. At 40 metres tall, it was more than twice the size of a standard mobile suit and incorporated technology derived from the MSN-02 Zeong.

The Psycho Gundam could transform between mobile suit mode and mobile fortress mode, with the latter capable of atmospheric flight thanks to its Minovsky Craft System. Its overwhelming firepower included multiple beam cannons, mega particle cannons, and defensive systems such as an I-field barrier.

Four’s enhanced abilities allowed her to control this complex machine through its psycommu system, but piloting it placed tremendous psychological strain on her. The mobile armor’s negative emotional stimulus systems were designed to drive the pilot into battle fury, which exacerbated Four’s already unstable mental condition.

After the Hong Kong battle, the Psycho Gundam was equipped with an experimental “psycho-control chair” that further enhanced Four’s control capabilities but at the cost of additional psychological trauma.

Behind the scenes

Four Murasame was created as part of the tragic narrative elements that define Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. Her character follows the “Lalah Sune archetype”—a tragic female character who serves as both love interest and enemy to the protagonist, ultimately dying to save him.

Four won Animage’s Anime Grand Prix Award in 1985 in the category of favourite female anime character of the year, demonstrating her popularity with audiences despite her relatively brief appearance in the series.

An interesting production note occurred in episode 36 of Zeta Gundam, where the opening sequence accidentally coloured Four’s hair purple and her shirt teal—the inverse of her usual emerald green hair and purple dress.

Voice actors

Four Murasame was voiced by Saeko Shimazu in the original Japanese television series. Shimazu is notable for having voice roles in all four major anime series based on Rumiko Takahashi’s works. In the English dub, Four was voiced by Carol-Anne Day, a Canadian voice actress who began her career in 2001.

For the A New Translation film trilogy, Four was recast with Yukana (formerly Yukana Nogami) providing the Japanese voice. Yukana is known for her versatile voice acting and notable roles including C.C. from Code Geass and Teletha Testarossa from Full Metal Panic!.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam episodes 17, 18, and 36
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation II - Lovers
Various video games including Gundam vs. Zeta Gundam and Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2
Multiple Super Robot Wars titles, often as a recruitable character who can survive her canonical fate

External links

Four Murasame on the Gundam Wiki
Four Murasame on Wikipedia