Haman Karn

Haman Karn was the leader of Axis Zeon and later Neo Zeon, serving as regent to Mineva Lao Zabi. She was one of the most formidable antagonists in the Universal Century timeline and a powerful Newtype.

Biography

Early life

Haman Karn was born on 10 January UC 0067 on the asteroid base Axis as the daughter of Admiral Maharaja Karn. Her father led the exodus of Zeon remnants to Axis following their defeat in the One Year War. Growing up in the harsh environment of Axis, Haman never saw Earth and endured a difficult childhood as the asteroid base was not well-suited to support life.

As revealed in Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Deleted Affair: Portrait Of Young Comet, Haman had a sweet disposition as a young teenager. She met Char Aznable when he arrived at Axis with the remnants of the Zeon Space Forces after their defeat at the Battle of A Baoa Qu. Despite this being their first meeting, Haman was immediately infatuated with the infamous Red Comet, and their relationship eventually became romantic.

The harsh realities of life on Axis, combined with the constant threat of Federation attack and her obligation to protect the Zeon exiles, forced Haman to mature quickly. She was never able to enjoy a normal childhood, which contributed to her eventual transformation into a cold, hardened leader.

Regency of Mineva Lao Zabi

When Maharaja Karn died from illness in UC 0083, sixteen-year-old Haman assumed leadership of Axis at the recommendation of Char Aznable. She became regent to Mineva Lao Zabi, the infant daughter of Dozle Zabi and the last surviving member of the Zabi family. Despite her young age, Haman’s charisma and determination allowed her to rally the dispirited Zeon exiles for their eventual return to the Earth Sphere.

However, tension arose between Haman and Char over the future of Axis and Zeon. When Char departed for a mission to Earth in UC 0083, he revealed that his goals differed from Haman’s ambitions to restore the Zabi family to power. This disagreement marked the beginning of the end of their romantic relationship, though Haman never completely abandoned her feelings for him.

As regent, Haman gave Mineva a distorted imperial education, instilling in the young princess the belief that the rule of the Zabi family would lead to the true prosperity of Spacenoids. This contrasted with Char’s desire for Mineva to grow up freely as a normal child.

The Gryps Conflict

During the Gryps Conflict (UC 0087-0088), Haman led Axis Zeon back into the Earth Sphere. Both the Titans and the AEUG courted Axis Zeon as a potential ally, recognising the faction’s political influence and military strength. Axis maintained superiority through its gold and silver-based monetary system, which proved superior to the recession-hit Earth Sphere economy.

The AEUG attempted to negotiate an alliance with Axis, hoping to make the Titans a mutual enemy. However, when Quattro Bajeena (Char’s alias) tried to attack Haman during their meeting aboard Axis’s capital ship, negotiations broke down, and Axis instead allied with the Titans. This alliance was temporary, as Haman eventually exited it when convenient for her goals.

The conflict culminated in a final battle between Haman, Char, and Paptimus Scirocco. Haman, piloting her AMX-004 Qubeley, defeated Char’s MSN-00100 Hyaku Shiki. Although she usually acted as if she had gotten over Char’s rejection, she appeared saddened when it seemed she had actually killed him. Their final conversation revealed her lingering affection as she asked for his return, which Char declined before triggering an explosion.

First Neo Zeon War

Following the Gryps Conflict, Haman found herself in a position of strategic advantage. She renamed her faction from Axis Zeon to Neo Zeon and launched an ambitious campaign to conquer the Earth Sphere. She sent envoys to various colonies and landed a full occupying force in the Earth Federation’s capital at Dakar, spreading her influence throughout North Africa.

Haman’s primary opposition came from the remnants of the AEUG aboard the Argama, led by their rising star pilot Judau Ashta. The two encountered each other multiple times, with Haman attempting to convince Judau to join her cause. She was intrigued by his Newtype abilities and his personality, which reminded her of her younger self. Despite her efforts, Judau remained deeply suspicious of her motivations and refused her offers.

During their third encounter in Dakar, Haman accidentally shot Leina Ashta, Judau’s sister, driving him into a rage that managed to terrify even Haman and caused her to lose her usual self-control. This incident marked a turning point in their relationship.

As her Earth occupation campaign stalled due to resistance, Haman decided to use a weapon of mass destruction, dropping a colony on Dublin, Ireland, to force the Earth Federation’s surrender. The Federation chose not to warn or evacuate Dublin, allowing its own citizens to be killed for population reduction purposes.

Downfall and death

Haman’s path to victory was disrupted when one of her subordinates, Glemy Toto, acquired a taste for power and began challenging her authority. This escalated into a civil war within Neo Zeon itself, with the Glemy Faction fighting against units loyal to Haman’s leadership. During this internal conflict, the Earth Federation exploited Neo Zeon’s disarray by pushing a task force directly into their homeland area.

The final confrontation took place during the Battle of Axis, where Haman piloted her Qubeley against Judau’s MSZ-010 ZZ Gundam. Their ideologies clashed as intensely as their mobile suits, with Judau insisting that people should not make decisions by themselves, whilst Haman maintained her individualist outlook, stating that she did not feel the need to change herself to satisfy others.

When Judau implored her to surrender, claiming she was trapping herself, Haman replied with a play on words that “trapping” (concealing) herself was actually her strength. She gave an impassioned statement: “All humans are alone, that is their destiny,” before rushing in for a final sabre clash with the ZZ Gundam.

Both mobile suits disabled each other in the exchange. Realising she was surrounded by the Earth Federation Fleet with no hope of escape, Haman accused Judau of following a childish and naive path, telling him that because of people’s childishness, the Earth would continue to be ruled by idiots. Declining Judau’s attempts to talk further, she took her own life, expressing happiness at having met someone as decent as him.

Personality & traits

When first encountered, Haman appeared as a cool, collected, and hardened leader with considerable charisma. She seemed to care for the well-being of her soldiers, even teaching principles of war to some. However, this was largely a façade covering her true nature—a character driven by an insatiable desire for power who cared little about whom she had to use or discard to achieve her goals.

Haman was noted for being highly manipulative, playing on the fears and ambitions of others to use them for her purposes. This was demonstrated near the end of the First Neo Zeon War when Mashymre Cello, an extremely faithful subordinate, sacrificed himself for her cause. Despite his devotion, Haman showed no remorse at his death, commenting only that the number of resources available to her had decreased by one.

Her dark personality was evident to sensitive Newtypes, with Judau Ashta commenting upon first meeting her that he felt a dark, malevolent aura around her. She harboured deep prejudice against Earthnoids, viewing them as corrupt, greedy individuals whose “souls were weighed down by gravity” and who needed to be eliminated for Earth to be saved under aristocratic Spacenoid rule, with herself as empress.

However, Haman was not always this way. The manga Char’s Deleted Affair: Portrait Of Young Comet revealed that she had a sweet disposition as a young teenager. Her transformation into a cold, manipulative leader resulted from her troubled upbringing—never having had the chance to be a child and enjoy life, combined with the obligation to protect the people on Axis and her view of their unjust treatment by the Federation.

Despite her hardened exterior, traces of her original personality remained. When she met Judau, his personality and beliefs slowly began to reawaken her old self, which she herself noted. She felt a kindred spirit in Judau, as he shared the same personality she had possessed at fourteen. In their climactic duel, Haman revealed her happiness at having met him, possibly because he represented what she could have become had she not allowed herself to be corrupted by war.

Haman stated that concealing herself was her strength, embodying her philosophy that “all humans are alone, that is their destiny.” This individualist outlook shaped her worldview and her resistance to changing herself to satisfy others.

Skills & abilities

Haman demonstrated exceptional abilities as both a mobile suit pilot and a political leader. As a pilot, she was a very powerful Newtype, on par with Paptimus Scirocco and possibly surpassing Char Aznable in ability. Her Newtype talents were first discovered during training at Zeon military laboratories, though she initially quit due to the painful nature of the experiments.

Her piloting skills were phenomenal, as demonstrated when she defeated the disguised Char Aznable (Quattro Bajeena) in his Hyaku Shiki during the Gryps War, leading her to believe she had killed the legendary ace pilot. Her aptitude with psycommu systems was extremely high, allowing her to effectively utilise the AMX-004 Qubeley’s funnel weapons system.

As a political and military leader, Haman proved herself capable of commanding an entire faction and launching a successful campaign to invade the Earth Sphere immediately after the end of the Gryps Conflict. Her charisma and determination enabled her to rally dispirited Zeon exiles and build them into a formidable military force. She possessed keen strategic insight, often playing mind games with her opponents and manipulating political situations to her advantage.

Her leadership style combined inspiration with intimidation, using both her natural charisma and her reputation as a formidable pilot to maintain control over her forces. She was skilled at psychological manipulation, able to identify and exploit the weaknesses and ambitions of others to further her goals.

Relationships

Char Aznable

Haman’s relationship with Char Aznable was one of the most significant and complex of her life. She first met him when he arrived at Axis with Zeon remnants after the One Year War. Despite this being their first meeting, Haman would have had no trouble recognising the infamous Red Comet, and her initial infatuation likely stemmed from his legendary reputation.

Their relationship deepened after Char saved her from a Federation attack on Axis, as depicted in Char’s Deleted Affair. What began as hero worship evolved into genuine romantic feelings during their time together on Axis. However, their relationship soured when Char’s goals diverged from Haman’s ambitions to restore the Zabi family to power.

Char’s defection from Axis and his unwillingness to support her efforts turned Haman’s love into spite, though she never truly abandoned her feelings for him. Throughout the Gryps Conflict, she continuously offered to let him rejoin her as a ruler of Zeon. Char’s constant refusals led to their final duel within the Gryps Colony Laser, where Char seemingly perished. Unaware that Char had once again cheated death, Haman finally attempted to put her feelings for him behind her, though not without lingering regrets.

Mineva Lao Zabi

As regent to Mineva Lao Zabi, Haman played a crucial role in shaping the young princess’s worldview. However, their relationship was complicated by Haman’s political ambitions. While she claimed to be fighting to restore the Zabi family to power, her actions suggested ulterior motives for personal advancement.

Haman provided Mineva with a distorted imperial education, instilling in her the belief that Zabi rule would lead to Spacenoid prosperity. This contrasted sharply with Char Aznable’s desire for Mineva to grow up freely as a normal child, creating tension between the two former lovers over the child’s upbringing.

Judau Ashta

Haman’s relationship with Judau Ashta represented one of the most intriguing dynamics in her later life. They first met when Judau was wandering around the Neo Zeon home base Axis, with Haman initially mistaking his Newtype presence for Char’s. Their encounter left a profound impression on both, despite neither knowing who the other was at the time.

From their second meeting onwards, Haman consistently attempted to persuade Judau to join her side, noting that she became highly emotional and did not act like her usual self when around him. She was attracted to his Newtype abilities and his personality, which reminded her of her younger, more innocent self. Judau represented what she could have become had she not been corrupted by war and ambition.

Despite disagreeing with her dark ambitions, Judau showed sympathy for Haman during their final duel, unsuccessfully attempting to persuade her to abandon her goals and come with him. With her final words, Haman expressed happiness at having met Judau and called him “a good kid,” suggesting that their relationship had awakened something of her original humanity.

Mashymre Cello

Mashymre Cello represented the epitome of blind loyalty to Haman’s cause. They first met when she challenged and defeated him in a mobile suit simulation battle, ending his winning streak. After Haman’s brave actions in battle against Earth Federation forces attacking Axis in UC 0080, she was chosen as Mineva’s regent.

During a public parade in Moussa, Mashymre ran after Haman’s car and gave her a rose, an event that may have influenced her later decision to give him a rose years later. Mashymre’s feelings for Haman were entirely one-sided—he was extremely loyal to her, fighting the Glemy Faction to his death. When informed of his end, Haman showed only passing interest, commenting that the number of resources available to her had decreased by one, demonstrating her cold, utilitarian view of even her most devoted followers.

Equipment

AMX-004 Qubeley

Haman’s personal mobile suit was the AMX-004 Qubeley, a next-generation mobile suit designed specifically for Newtype pilots. The Qubeley featured numerous technological innovations, including a miniaturised psycommu system and ten remote weapons known as funnels. Her exceptional aptitude with the psycommu system allowed her to utilise the Qubeley’s capabilities to their fullest extent.

The mobile suit served as her personal machine throughout both the Gryps Conflict and the First Neo Zeon War, becoming synonymous with her fearsome reputation as a pilot. Its distinctive design, featuring four independently movable shoulder binders and a unique dual-type optical sensor system, made it instantly recognisable on the battlefield.

Behind the scenes

Haman Karn was voiced by Sakakibara Yoshiko in the original Japanese version and by Valerie Howell in the English dub. In Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3, her English voice actress was Tracy Sutton. Sakakibara’s theatrical, over-the-top performance was noted as particularly suited to both the often silly action of ZZ Gundam and the character’s role as a menacing femme fatale.

The character’s name is sometimes spelled “Haman Khan” in certain materials. Her name is possibly derived from Haman the Agagite from the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible, reflecting her role as a corrupt usurper who uses a ruler as a figurehead to fulfil her ambitions.

Similar to Char Aznable, Haman harboured a strong distaste for formal wear and pilot suits, often forgoing the latter even whilst fighting in the vacuum of space. It was not until the First Neo Zeon War that she began wearing formal wear in the form of an ornate commander’s uniform to inspire troops, as well as a custom pilot suit, both of which she secretly detested.

Due to her hairstyle and colours, fans often joke about Haman being “Evil Minky Momo,” referencing the magical girl anime character. Super Robot Wars X-Omega even had a crossover event with Magical Princess Minky Momo that poked fun at this meme.

Haman is notable for being the first main antagonist in a Gundam series to make her debut in a previous series, having appeared in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam before becoming the primary antagonist of Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ.

Appearances

• Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam – Episodes 32, 33, 43, 45
• Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ – Episodes 18, 22, 27-29, 32-36
• Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Deleted Affair: Portrait Of Young Comet
• Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam Define

External links

• Haman Karn on the Gundam Wiki
• Haman Karn on Wikipedia