Jona Basta

Jona Basta (ヨナ・バシュタ, Yona Bashuta) was an Earth Federation Forces mobile suit pilot who became involved in the hunt for the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex during the aftermath of the Laplace Incident in Universal Century 0097. Haunted by his childhood connection to Rita Bernal, whose consciousness appeared bound to the Phenex, Jona piloted the Narrative Gundam in desperate attempt to reach her and resolve the trauma that had defined both their lives.

Biography

Childhood and Trauma

Jona was born in UC 0080 and grew up alongside Rita Bernal and Zoltan Akkanen as children. The three shared traumatic experiences during their youth that would shape their futures – they witnessed terrible events during wartime that left psychological scars none fully healed from.

Rita, in particular, became central to Jona’s emotional life. Their childhood bond was profound, making her later fate – becoming test pilot for the Phenex and apparently dying when the mobile suit activated its Psycho-Frame – devastating for Jona.

Post-Laplace Incident: UC 0097

One year after the Laplace Incident involving Banagher Links and the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam, the Phenex resurfaced. The golden mobile suit, which had disappeared years earlier with Rita apparently still connected to it, became object of intense interest for various factions.

Jona, now a Federation mobile suit pilot, was assigned to hunt for the Phenex. However, his motivation transcended military duty – he needed to know what had happened to Rita, whether she still existed in some form within the Phenex, and if he could somehow reach or save her.

Narrative Gundam

Jona was assigned to pilot the Narrative Gundam, a simplified mobile suit developed using data from the RX-0 series but without their full Psycho-Frame systems. The machine was designed to be controllable by normal (non-Newtype) pilots whilst retaining some capability to counter Psycho-Frame-equipped units like the Phenex.

His piloting was driven more by desperation than tactical brilliance – he pursued the Phenex obsessively, hoping each encounter might let him communicate with Rita or understand what she had become.

Confrontation with Zoltan

Jona’s mission brought him into conflict with Zoltan Akkanen, their childhood companion who had become fanatical Neo Zeon supporter. Zoltan piloted the II Neo Zeong, seeking to capture the Phenex for Neo Zeon’s purposes.

Their confrontation was both military engagement and tragic reunion – three traumatized children from shared past now fighting over the ghost of one of them, with political ideologies they barely understood justifying the violence.

Resolution

Through encounters with the Phenex, Jona came to understand that Rita’s consciousness had transcended normal existence through the Psycho-Frame. Whether she was truly alive, had become something beyond human comprehension, or was merely an echo in powerful technology remained ambiguous.

Jona’s arc concluded with accepting that he couldn’t “save” Rita in any conventional sense – she had moved beyond reach, and his obsession had been driven more by his own need for closure than realistic possibility of rescue.

Personality

Jona was characterized by:

Trauma-Driven: Childhood experiences shaped his entire adult life
Obsessive: Pursuit of Rita bordered on unhealthy fixation
Guilt-Ridden: Felt he had failed to protect Rita
Determined: Refused to abandon hope despite rational impossibility
Emotionally Vulnerable: Wore his pain openly rather than suppressing it

His character explored how childhood trauma could define adult identity, and whether closure was possible for some losses.

Significance

Jona Basta represented:

Post-Unicorn Generation

As protagonist of story set after Unicorn, Jona dealt with that conflict’s aftermath – the Laplace Box revelation, Psycho-Frame technology’s implications, and lingering Neo Zeon remnants. His story showed how major UC events created ongoing consequences.

Trauma and Newtype Phenomena

Jona’s relationship with Rita explored how Newtype/Psycho-Frame phenomena affected those left behind. Rita transcended normal existence (possibly), but Jona remained human, unable to follow. This explored the tragedy of spiritual/technological transcendence from perspective of those who couldn’t transcend.

Normal Pilot vs. Psycho-Frame

Piloting Narrative Gundam whilst confronting Phenex and II Neo Zeong, Jona represented normal humans trying to deal with technologies and phenomena beyond their comprehension. His limitations contrasted with earlier Newtype protagonists who could engage with these systems directly.

Behind the Scenes

Jona Basta was created for Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative directed by Yoshida Shun’ichi and written by Fukui Harutoshi. The film explored Psycho-Frame technology’s implications after Unicorn, using Jona as audience surrogate – someone who could witness extraordinary phenomena but not fully comprehend or control them.

Fukui designed Jona as contrast to Banagher Links – where Banagher was naturally talented Newtype who could interface with RX-0 systems, Jona was ordinary person driven by emotional needs rather than exceptional ability. This made his story more tragic – he pursued something he could never truly reach.

The name “Jona” evoked the biblical Jonah, who was swallowed by a whale and later released, suggesting themes of being consumed by obsession and potentially finding release.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative

External links

Jona Basta on the Gundam Wiki