Loni Garvey

Loni Garvey was a mobile armor pilot and member of the Zeon remnants who operated the AMA-X7 Shamblo during the Third Neo Zeon War. The daughter of wealthy businessman Mahdi Garvey, she was driven by hatred for the Earth Federation following the deaths of her parents.

Biography

Early life

Loni was born in UC 0078 as the daughter of Mahdi Garvey, chairman of Garvey Enterprises and a former Principality of Zeon soldier. She grew up in a wealthy Muslim family alongside her brothers Walid and Abbas Garvey. Despite her religious background, Loni’s clothing was not particularly concealing by traditional standards.

Her childhood was marked by tragedy when the Earth Federation executed her mother. According to the novel version, her mother had killed a Federation soldier who was assaulting a Muslim woman, leading to her subsequent execution by Federation authorities. This event, combined with the later death of her father at Federation hands, became the driving force behind Loni’s deep-seated hatred for the Federation.

Under Yonem Kirks

Following her father’s death, Loni came under the care of Yonem Kirks, a Zeon remnant leader based in New Guinea. Kirks served as a substitute father figure to the orphaned young woman, looking after her and integrating her into his remnant group. The 39-year-old commander became an important mentor during this period of her life.

Third Neo Zeon War

In UC 0096, Loni became involved in the events surrounding Laplace’s Box and the Third Neo Zeon War. When the Garencieres crashed in the Sahara Desert whilst carrying the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam, Loni was amongst the Zeon forces who helped dig the vessel out of the sand.

During this time, she met Banagher Links, the pilot of the Unicorn Gundam, after he had travelled across the desert. Loni publicly flirted with him, which led to Suberoa Zinnerman teasing Banagher about pursuing her. In their conversations, Loni expressed her love for children, telling Banagher that if she ever married, she would want to have ten children.

Meeting with Full Frontal

When Full Frontal arrived to meet with the Zeon remnants, Loni joined Yonem Kirks for a conference aboard the Garencieres. Frontal acknowledged Loni’s presence and commented that her father had perfected Haman Karn’s legacy. When the La+ Program revealed new coordinates pointing toward Torrington Base, Loni requested permission from Frontal to lead the assault.

Frontal admitted that whilst he commanded Zeon forces in space, he had no control over the Earth-based remnants who had been fighting a guerrilla war since the One Year War. He concluded that they had the autonomy to act as they saw fit. Loni agreed with this assessment and gave a “Sieg Zeon” salute before disembarking from the Garencieres.

Battle of Torrington

As she passed Banagher Links whilst leaving the ship, Loni told him “not to let her down”, foreshadowing their upcoming confrontation. The Zeon remnants then launched their assault on Torrington Base, with Loni piloting the massive AMA-X7 Shamblo mobile armor.

Despite Yonem Kirks ordering her to avoid unnecessary civilian casualties, the Shamblo’s psycommu system malfunctioned, activating on its own and compelling Loni to deploy her beam reflectors. This enabled the mobile armor’s particle cannons to devastate the nearby city rather than just the military base.

When the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam was deployed earlier than planned to intercept her, Loni was surprised to see Banagher opposing her. The Unicorn fired warning shots in front of the Shamblo, causing it to halt momentarily. Banagher then attempted to reason with her, holstering his weapon and pleading with her to fall back.

Loni expressed gratitude that the Garencieres had crashed, as those events had set in motion her opportunity for revenge against the Federation. When Banagher warned her that the families she killed would only harbour more hatred for Zeon, she rebuked him, stating that her parents never had a chance to surrender and that opening Laplace’s Box would not bring her family back.

Final confrontation

The situation escalated when Riddhe Marcenas arrived in the MSN-001A1 Delta Plus and intervened in the battle. During the confrontation, Banagher made the unprecedented decision to open the Unicorn’s cockpit and step out, driving home his appeal for her to stop the attack. This gesture temporarily placated Loni, who felt unsure of herself.

However, the battle took a tragic turn when Loni sensed Yonem Kirks’ death at the hands of the Federation’s Tri-Stars unit. Enraged that the Federation had taken away the last of her family, she resumed her berserk attack on the Unicorn. The mobile suit transformed into Destroy Mode, making contact with the Shamblo’s psycho-frame. Both units emitted a psycho-field that ravaged the surrounding area.

Loni fired wildly at the Unicorn, but Banagher deflected the beams whilst continuing to implore her not to let hatred consume her. She countered his pleas by arguing that both of them were bound by blood to fulfil their parents’ wishes, and that whether their inherited power was a gift or a curse, it was their duty to use it.

In her final moments, Kirks’ spirit appeared to her, telling her that their war was over and it was time to go. With her anger subsiding and overwhelmed with emotion, she entered a daze and relinquished control of the Shamblo. However, residual psycommu feedback caused the mobile armor to prepare another attack as Riddhe and Banagher charged toward her.

When the Shamblo fired its mega particle cannon, Loni regained lucidity at the last moment and used her reflector bits to shield Banagher and Riddhe from the cannon fire. This created an opening in the Shamblo’s defences, which Riddhe exploited. Tired of Banagher’s unwillingness to act decisively, Riddhe’s Delta Plus took the Unicorn’s beam magnum and fired, incinerating the cockpit and killing Loni instantly.

Personality and traits

Loni presented herself as a kind and loving person with a particular affection for children. She was outgoing and flirtatious, as demonstrated by her public interactions with Banagher Links. Despite her Muslim faith, she did not dress in particularly conservative clothing, suggesting a relatively liberal interpretation of religious customs.

However, beneath her pleasant exterior lay a deep-seated hatred for the Earth Federation stemming from the execution of her mother and the death of her father. This trauma manifested as a burning desire for revenge that ultimately consumed her rational thinking. Her hatred was so profound that she claimed to have nothing else to live for besides vengeance.

Loni’s character differed significantly between the novel and anime adaptations. In the original novel, she served as a voice of reason within her family, attempting to restrain her father’s and brothers’ bloodthirsty quest for revenge. In the anime adaptation, the roles were reversed, with Loni being the one driven by revenge whilst her father and brothers were already dead.

Skills and abilities

As a mobile armor pilot, Loni demonstrated considerable skill in operating the massive AMA-X7 Shamblo. She was capable of coordinating the mobile armor’s complex systems, including its defensive reflector bits and powerful mega particle cannons. Her piloting abilities were enhanced by her apparent Newtype potential, which allowed her to interface with the Shamblo’s psycommu systems.

Loni possessed strong telepathic abilities, demonstrated when she communicated with Banagher Links during their final confrontation. In the novel version, she was able to telepathically convey the Shamblo’s vulnerable spots to Banagher even whilst dying. Her Newtype abilities also allowed her to sense the death of Yonem Kirks during the Battle of Torrington.

Relationships

Family

Loni’s relationship with her family was complex and tragic. Her father, Mahdi Garvey, was a wealthy businessman and former Zeon soldier who had provided for her comfortable upbringing. However, his death at Federation hands became one of the primary driving forces behind her quest for revenge.

The execution of her mother by Federation forces for killing a soldier who was assaulting a Muslim woman created deep psychological trauma for Loni. This event fundamentally shaped her worldview and her hatred for the Federation.

In the novel version, Loni worked alongside her brothers Walid and Abbas Garvey as co-pilots of the Shamblo, with Walid handling communications and Abbas serving as the main pilot whilst she operated the defensive systems. Their relationship was characterised by her attempts to be the voice of reason amongst the family’s quest for vengeance.

Yonem Kirks

Following her father’s death, Yonem Kirks became a surrogate father figure to Loni. The Zeon remnant leader took her under his protection and integrated her into his forces. Their relationship was characterised by mutual respect and affection, with Kirks attempting to provide guidance whilst respecting her autonomy as a pilot.

Kirks’ death during the Battle of Torrington was the final blow that drove Loni into her ultimate berserker rage. Even in death, his spirit appeared to her to convince her to stop fighting, demonstrating the lasting bond between them.

Banagher Links

Loni’s relationship with Banagher Links was brief but significant. Their initial meeting in the desert was marked by her flirtatious behaviour and their discussions about children and marriage. Despite being on opposite sides of the conflict, she developed a connection with the young pilot.

During their final confrontation, Banagher represented a path away from vengeance and hatred. His attempts to reach out to her emotionally nearly succeeded, and she was moved by his gesture of opening his cockpit to show his sincerity. However, the trauma of losing Kirks ultimately overwhelmed her ability to accept his plea for peace.

Mecha

AMA-X7 Shamblo

Loni’s primary mobile weapon was the AMA-X7 Shamblo, a massive amphibious mobile armor developed by Zeon remnants with technical support from Neo Zeon supporters. The Shamblo combined three different propulsion systems—jet propulsion, electromagnetic induction, and Minovsky thermonuclear hover craft—to achieve both underwater and terrestrial mobility.

The mobile armor was equipped with ten reflector bits that could create defensive barriers and redirect beam attacks, making it nearly impervious to conventional mobile suit weaponry. Its primary offensive capability consisted of three mega particle diffusion cannons capable of devastating entire city blocks.

Loni operated the Shamblo’s defensive systems in the novel version, whilst in the anime adaptation she served as the sole pilot. The mobile armor’s psycommu system amplified her Newtype abilities but also proved to be a double-edged sword, as its malfunction during the Battle of Torrington compelled her to attack civilian areas against her initial orders.

Behind the scenes

Loni Garvey was voiced by Mariya Ise in the Japanese version and Karen Strassman in the English dub. Mariya Ise also voiced Rina Noyama in Model Suit Gunpla Builders Beginning G, whilst Karen Strassman provided voices for Casval Rem Deikun in Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin and Tomomi Bernstein in Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans.

The character underwent significant changes between the original novel and the anime adaptation. In the novel, her father Mahdi Garvey was still alive and served as the primary pilot of the Shamblo, with Loni and her brothers acting as co-pilots. The novel portrayed her as a voice of reason attempting to restrain her family’s bloodthirsty quest for revenge, ultimately being killed by her own father for insubordination.

The anime adaptation reversed these roles, with Mahdi and her brothers already dead and Loni herself driven by the desire for vengeance. This change was likely made to create a more direct parallel between Loni and Banagher Links, as both were young people burdened by their family legacies. The religious and political elements of the original story were also toned down in the anime, possibly due to sensitivity around the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

Appearances

• Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (OVA)
• Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096 (TV series)
• Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (novels)
• Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn: Bande Dessinee (manga)
• Mobile Suit Gundam UC Engage (game)