Neo Zeon

Neo Zeon was a term given to three distinct spacenoid military movements that emerged from Principality of Zeon remnants after the One Year War. The name encompassed the First Neo Zeon Movement led by Haman Karn in UC 0088-0089, the Second Neo Zeon Movement led by Char Aznable in UC 0093, and later The Sleeves led by Full Frontal in UC 0096.

History

First Neo Zeon Movement

The First Neo Zeon Movement emerged from Axis Zeon, which comprised Principality remnants who had retreated to the asteroid base Axis after the One Year War. Under Haman Karn’s leadership, Axis Zeon returned to the Earth Sphere in October UC 0087 during the Gryps Conflict.

Haman used Mineva Lao Zabi, daughter of Dozle Zabi, as a figurehead to legitimise their rule and rally Zeon remnants to their cause. While Mineva was officially the head of state, real power rested with Haman as regent. The movement maintained some of the Principality’s military structure but introduced a system of knightly titles for commanders.

Initially allying with the Titans against the Anti Earth Union Group (AEUG), Axis later switched allegiance to weaken both factions. After the Gryps Conflict, Haman renamed Axis Zeon to Neo Zeon and began their campaign to dominate the Earth Sphere.

Neo Zeon demonstrated their military might through operations like the Dublin Colony Drop, which caused massive civilian casualties despite Karaba’s evacuation efforts. The movement’s success in controlling territory led some within the Federation government to consider appeasement.

However, internal division emerged when Glemy Toto, claiming to be a clone of Gihren Zabi, initiated a rebellion. This civil war, combined with AEUG resistance, led to the movement’s collapse in UC 0089 following the deaths of both Haman and Glemy.

The First Neo Zeon Movement maintained a strong alliance with Mars Zeon, sharing mobile suit designs and receiving reinforcements during major operations.

Second Neo Zeon Movement

In UC 0093, Char Aznable, revealing himself as Casval Rem Deikun, reorganised scattered Neo Zeon forces into the “Newborn Neo Zeon”. Unlike Haman’s movement, which sought to revive the Principality’s ideals, Char’s Neo Zeon focused on achieving Zeon Zum Deikun’s original vision of human migration to space.

The movement established its base at the refugee colony Sweet Water, drawing support from spacenoids who opposed Federation rule. Though officially unconnected to the Republic of Zeon, they received covert support from sympathetic government officials and anti-Federation factions.

Char initiated “Operation British Drop”, a plan to render Earth uninhabitable by dropping asteroids to force humanity into space. This culminated in the attempted drop of the asteroid Axis, which was thwarted by the Federation’s Londo Bell task force in what became known as the Second Neo Zeon War.

The movement’s military strength came primarily through contracts with Anaheim Electronics, which produced advanced mobile suits like the MSN-04 Sazabi at their Granada facility. The Second Neo Zeon Movement ended with the disappearance of both Char and Amuro Ray during the battle of Axis.

Organisation

Military Structure

The First Neo Zeon Movement inherited significant military assets from Axis Zeon, including Gwazine-class battleships and the Gaza series mobile suits. They later developed advanced units like the AMX-004 Qubeley and NZ-000 Queen Mansa.

The Second Movement, while smaller, emphasised quality over quantity. Their forces centred around the AMS-119 Geara Doga as their main mobile suit, supported by custom units for ace pilots.

Both movements maintained formal military hierarchies, though the First Movement notably incorporated a system of knightly titles for commanders, reflecting Haman’s neo-aristocratic ideals.

Political Structure

Under Haman, Neo Zeon attempted to establish itself as a legitimate successor state to the Principality, using Mineva Zabi’s presence to claim legitimacy. They controlled territory in space and briefly on Earth, maintaining a formal government structure.

Char’s movement operated more as a military organisation than a state, focusing on achieving their ideological goals rather than establishing traditional governance. They maintained diplomatic channels with various anti-Federation groups while avoiding formal state structures.

Ideology

The First Neo Zeon Movement combined Zeon Zum Deikun’s Contolism with elements of Zabi family authoritarianism. Haman used the Zabi legacy to rally support while pursuing her own vision of spacenoid supremacy.

In contrast, the Second Movement explicitly rejected Zabi family ideology. Char advocated for a radical interpretation of Contolism, arguing that humanity’s continued presence on Earth prevented both environmental recovery and Newtype evolution.

Both movements attracted support from spacenoids who felt marginalised by Federation rule, though their methods and goals differed significantly.

Behind the scenes

The Neo Zeon movements represented different narrative approaches in the Gundam franchise. Tomino Yoshiyuki used them to explore themes of political legitimacy, generational conflict, and environmental responsibility.

The First Neo Zeon Movement, featured in Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, drew inspiration from European aristocratic revivals and civil wars. The knight title system and Haman’s regency reflected historical examples of restored monarchies.

The Second Movement, in Char’s Counterattack, incorporated environmental themes that were becoming prominent in the early 1990s. Char’s plan to force space migration through environmental catastrophe paralleled real-world debates about climate change and human impact on Earth.

The movements’ mobile suit designs, created by Katoki Hajime and others, showed evolution from the Principality’s aesthetic while establishing their own distinct styles. The First Movement’s designs emphasised ornate details reflecting their neo-aristocratic nature, while the Second Movement’s units displayed a more streamlined, modernised approach.

Appearances

Anime

• Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
  • Depicts the First Neo Zeon Movement and related conflicts
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack
  • Features the Second Neo Zeon Movement
• Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
  • Shows the aftermath through The Sleeves
• Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative
  • References events from both movements

Manga

• Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack - Beltorchika’s Children
  • Alternative telling of the Second Neo Zeon War
• Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ Side Story: Mirage of Zeon
  • Expands on First Neo Zeon Movement events

Video Games

• Mobile Suit Gundam: Gihren’s Greed
  • Features alternative histories of both movements
• Dynasty Warriors Gundam
  • Includes characters and mobile suits from both movements
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs Zeon
  • Features units from both movements

Legacy

The Neo Zeon movements significantly influenced the Universal Century timeline. Their actions led to increased Federation vigilance against spacenoid independence movements and inspired later groups like The Sleeves.

The environmental damage caused by their conflicts, particularly the Second Movement’s asteroid drops, contributed to ongoing ecological problems on Earth. This partially validated their arguments about humanity’s impact on the planet, though their methods were widely condemned.

After the Second Neo Zeon War, remaining Zeon forces became increasingly fragmented. In UC 0096, some remnants reorganised as The Sleeves under Full Frontal’s leadership, continuing the ideological struggle against the Federation in a more limited capacity.

The ultimate dissolution of Neo Zeon forces contributed to the Republic of Zeon’s decision to formally rejoin the Federation in UC 0100, marking the end of organised Zeon resistance in the Earth Sphere.

External links

• Neo Zeon on the Gundam Wiki