Ortega – MechaBay | Mobile Suit Gundam

Ortega was a lieutenant junior grade in the Principality of Zeon forces and a member of the elite Black Tri-Stars mobile suit team during the One Year War. Serving under team leader Gaia alongside Mash, he was a specialist in melee combat and participated in some of Zeon’s most significant victories, including the capture of Federation General Johann Abraham Revil.

Biography

Ortega began his military career as one of the early pioneers of Zeon’s mobile suit programme. Like his fellow Black Tri-Stars members, he was among the soldiers scouted for the experimental mobile weapons development programme that would eventually revolutionise warfare.

Early service and training

In May UC 0076, when Colonel Kycilia Zabi formed the Mobile Training Battalion, an experimental unit created to establish mobile suit tactics, Ortega was assigned to the Mobile Training Battalion 2nd Squadron D Squad. At this time, he held the rank of sergeant major and piloted an MS-05B Zaku I painted in dark sea blue.

Ortega became part of a close-knit trio with Gaia and Mash, forming bonds that would define their military careers. The three pilots developed exceptional coordination and teamwork, eventually creating the tactical formation that would become known as the “Jet Stream Attack.”

In this formation, Ortega specialised in serving as the finishing element of the attack, positioned to eliminate any targets that managed to evade the initial assault by Gaia and the follow-up by Mash. His particular expertise lay in melee combat, making him a dangerous opponent in close-quarters mobile suit engagements.

Battle of Loum

During the Battle of Loum on 15 January UC 0079, the Black Tri-Stars achieved their greatest triumph. Ortega, piloting an MS-06R-1A Zaku II High Mobility Type, helped capture General Johann Abraham Revil and played a crucial role in sinking the Federation flagship Ananke.

In a particularly decisive moment, Ortega drove his mobile suit’s heat hawk through the ship’s bridge, personally delivering the blow that sank Revil’s flagship. This action contributed directly to Zeon’s stunning victory at Loum and the capture of the Federation’s most senior space commander.

Following their success at Loum, Ortega was promoted from ensign to lieutenant junior grade in recognition of his achievements. The Black Tri-Stars received upgrades to MS-06S Zaku II Commander Type mobile suits, which they painted in their distinctive black, purple, and grey colour scheme.

Continued success

In July UC 0079, the Black Tri-Stars under Ortega’s participation destroyed an entire Earth Federation reconnaissance fleet near the Zeon asteroid fortress A Baoa Qu. Their reputation as elite pilots continued to grow, making them one of Zeon’s most feared mobile suit teams.

However, Ortega occasionally showed frustration with the attention received by other ace pilots, particularly Char Aznable. He expressed annoyance at Char’s custom red mobile suit and distinctive horn, feeling that the “Red Comet” received disproportionate recognition despite the Black Tri-Stars’ consistent achievements.

Transfer to Earth

In October UC 0079, following the death of Garma Zabi at Los Angeles, Kycilia Zabi transferred the Black Tri-Stars to Earth to reinforce Zeon’s terrestrial forces. They were assigned to the 7th Terrestrial Mobile Division, 1st Mobile Suit Battalion and received new MS-09 Dom mobile suits from Colonel M’Quve.

The team used their time at Lima to perfect their Jet Stream Attack with the new Dom units, adapting their formation to take advantage of the Dom’s superior ground mobility and firepower. Ortega’s role remained as the third element of the attack, ready to finish off any opponents who survived the initial assault.

Encounter with the White Base

During a chance encounter in the neutral town of Cuzco, the Black Tri-Stars met members of the White Base crew during a local dispute. After both groups left the town, the team pursued the Federation ship to the Urubamba Gorge, where they engaged in their first battle against the RX-78-2 Gundam.

Their initial assault proved highly effective, with the Jet Stream Attack destroying two RX-75-4 Guntank units and putting Amuro Ray’s Gundam at a severe disadvantage. However, Amuro discovered a critical weakness in their formation and exploited it during their second attempt, using Gaia’s Dom as a stepping stone to destroy Mash.

Killing of Matilda Ajan

On 6 November UC 0079, as the Earth Federation prepared for Operation Odessa, the Black Tri-Stars launched a night attack on the White Base whilst it was being resupplied. During their second attempt at the Jet Stream Attack, Amuro destroyed Mash’s Dom, but was unable to evade Ortega’s follow-up assault.

At the critical moment, Lieutenant Matilda Ajan piloted her Medea transport directly into Ortega’s Dom in a desperate attempt to save Amuro and protect the White Base. Her heroic sacrifice disrupted the attack, but Ortega retaliated immediately and brutally.

Using his Dom’s manipulator hands, Ortega crushed the Medea’s cockpit, killing Matilda instantly. This act, whilst tactically sound from a military perspective, marked him as the direct killer of one of the Federation’s most beloved supply officers and had profound psychological effects on the White Base crew, particularly Amuro Ray.

Final battle and death

The loss of Mash devastated the Black Tri-Stars, breaking their perfect formation record and leaving Ortega and Gaia struggling with grief and a desire for vengeance. Determined to honour their fallen comrade, the two survivors decided that destroying the Gundam and White Base was essential to restore their unit’s honour.

On 9 November UC 0079, during the height of Operation Odessa, Ortega and Gaia launched their final, unauthorized attack against the White Base. M’Quve discovered their sortie and berated them for acting without orders, but they continued their assault regardless.

However, the psychological impact of Mash’s death had fundamentally altered their coordination. With their formation broken and their tactical unity shattered, Ortega and Gaia were no longer the formidable team they had once been. Amuro Ray, whose piloting skills had improved dramatically since their first encounter, engaged both surviving Black Tri-Stars.

In the compilation movie version, as Ortega prepared to fire on Amuro, Sayla Mass in the FF-X7-Bst Core Booster blasted Ortega’s Dom with her beam cannons, killing him instantly. In the television series, he was defeated by the Gundam during the same battle.

Ortega was killed in action on 9 November UC 0079, ending the legend of the Black Tri-Stars and eliminating one of Zeon’s most skilled close-combat specialists.

Personality and traits

Ortega was characterised by his loyalty to his teammates and his specialisation in melee combat. As a close-quarters specialist, he was particularly dangerous in hand-to-hand mobile suit combat, demonstrating brutal efficiency when he killed Matilda Ajan.

He showed occasional resentment towards pilots who received more recognition than the Black Tri-Stars, particularly Char Aznable, suggesting he possessed considerable pride in his unit’s achievements and felt they deserved greater acknowledgement.

Like his teammates, Ortega was deeply affected by the death of Mash, showing that beneath his warrior exterior lay genuine emotional bonds with his fellow pilots. The loss of their third member fundamentally altered his combat effectiveness and decision-making.

His brutal killing of Matilda Ajan demonstrated the ruthless efficiency expected of elite Zeon pilots, but also marked him as directly responsible for one of the war’s most tragic losses from the Federation perspective.

Relationships

Gaia and Mash

Ortega’s relationship with Gaia and Mash formed the cornerstone of his military identity. The three had been close friends since their early days in the Mobile Training Battalion, developing the exceptional coordination that made them legendary.

As Gaia’s subordinate, Ortega respected the chain of command while maintaining the close personal bonds that made their teamwork so effective. The death of Mash devastated both survivors and ultimately led to their own deaths as they sought vengeance rather than tactical victory.

Char Aznable

Ortega had a somewhat antagonistic relationship with Char Aznable, feeling that the “Red Comet” received excessive attention despite the Black Tri-Stars’ consistent achievements. This professional rivalry reflected broader tensions within Zeon’s ace pilot community over recognition and status.

Legacy

Ortega’s death marked the end of one of the One Year War’s most legendary mobile suit teams. His role in killing Matilda Ajan made him a particular target of Federation hatred, whilst his melee combat expertise influenced Zeon’s close-quarters combat doctrine.

The loss of the Black Tri-Stars, culminating in Ortega’s death, represented a significant blow to Zeon’s elite pilot corps during the critical final months of the war. Their defeat demonstrated that even the most skilled and coordinated teams could be overcome by individual excellence and tactical innovation.

Behind the scenes

Ortega was voiced by Issei Futamata in the Japanese version of Mobile Suit Gundam and by Matt Hill in the English dub. In Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, he received additional backstory and character development, including his early service as a mobile suit test pilot.

The character has appeared in numerous Gundam video games as part of the Black Tri-Stars team, often allowing players to pilot his Dom and experience the Jet Stream Attack from his perspective.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin
Mobile Suit Gundam: Zeonic Front
Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam series

External links

Ortega on the Gundam Wiki
Black Tri-Stars on the Gundam Wiki