Nina Purpleton

Nina Purpleton (ニナ・パープルトン, Nina Pāpuruton) was the chief engineer overseeing Anaheim Electronics’ Gundam Development Project. Her stewardship of the GP series placed her aboard the assault carrier Albion during Operation Stardust, where her past with Anavel Gato complicated her work alongside pilot Kou Uraki.

Biography

Nina Purpleton balanced her duties as Anaheim’s lead designer with the emotional fallout of confronting a former lover who had become the Federation’s most dangerous adversary.

Architect of the GP series

Fresh from Anaheim’s orbital research division, Nina led the design teams that birthed the RX-78GP01 Zephyranthes, RX-78GP02A Physalis, and RX-78GP03 Dendrobium. She coordinated frame stress tests, pilot familiarisation, and the delicate supply chain that fed Torrington Base’s hangars, taking personal responsibility for every system upgrade.

Past with Anavel Gato

Before the One Year War, Nina and Anavel Gato collaborated on Zeon development projects and formed a quiet romance built on shared engineering ideals. The war severed their contact, and Nina assumed he had died with the Principality’s defeat—until the night he returned to steal the GP02A.

Operation Stardust entanglement

After the Torrington theft, Nina boarded the Albion to keep the GP01 operational. She regulated the Zephyranthes’ learning computer, authorised the Full Burnern refit, and briefed Kou Uraki before each sortie even as memories of Gato gnawed at her. When she finally confronted Gato atop Konpei Island, she begged him to abandon the Delaz Fleet; his refusal left her torn between loyalty to the Federation and lingering affection for the ace who had weaponised her work.

Aftermath

Nina helped arm the Dendrobium for Kou’s final push, then watched the classified tribunal that followed seal the entire project. With the GP records buried, she returned to Anaheim’s black programmes carrying both the guilt of the Physalis theft and the knowledge that her innovations had averted an even larger catastrophe.

Physical appearance

Nina Purpleton was a slender woman with teal hair tied in a low ponytail, green eyes, and the white-and-blue Anaheim engineering uniform accented by a portable data slate and headset used for hangar communications.

Personality & traits

Nina Purpleton combined meticulous professionalism with guarded empathy. She could issue rapid-fire technical directives on the hangar floor, yet moments later struggle with the moral weight of designing weapons for political superpowers. Her instinct to protect those she cared about often clashed with the cold logic demanded by wartime logistics.

Skills & abilities

Nina Purpleton mastered fusion reactor calibration, learning-computer tuning, and beam weapon harmonics. She could diagnose telemetry faults mid-sortie and reroute software patches through the Albion’s comm buoy, enabling Kou to squeeze maximum performance from the GP01 even while under fire.

Relationships

Nina Purpleton maintained pivotal ties with the pilots caught between her professional duties and personal history.

Kou Uraki

Kou Uraki relied on Nina’s briefings and emotional support as he matured from test pilot to frontline ace. Their mutual respect deepened into affection, though Nina’s hesitation to sever her past with Gato strained the bond.

Anavel Gato

Anavel Gato represented Nina’s unresolved past. She recognised the honour in his convictions even as she condemned his nuclear strike, leading to tense confrontations where she pleaded for him to abandon Operation Stardust.

South Burning

South Burning valued Nina’s professionalism and shielded her from military politics aboard the Albion. In return, she ensured his pilots launched with properly tuned suits, reinforcing the trust between engineering and command.

Equipment

Nina Purpleton oversaw the GP series’ mobile suits, wielding Anaheim diagnostic tablets, remote uplink headsets, and the Albion’s linear seat simulators to push rapid software revisions. Her “equipment” effectively encompassed the Gundam prototypes themselves.

Legacy

Nina Purpleton’s telemetry archive formed the basis for later Anaheim innovations despite the Federation’s attempt to bury Operation Stardust. Her experience illustrated how engineers bore responsibility for the weapons they created, and Albion veterans remembered her as the reason their Gundams stayed battle-ready during the crisis.

Behind the scenes

Nina Purpleton was created for Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory to portray a civilian engineer whose loyalties were tested by war. Designer Kawamori Shōji emphasised a professional silhouette and distinctive teal hair to separate her visually from combat personnel, while the script explored the emotional cost of weapon development.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory

External links

Nina Purpleton on the Gundam Wiki