Reccoa Londe

Reccoa Londe was an intelligence operative for the Anti-Earth Union Group who later defected to the Titans during the Gryps Conflict. A former resistance fighter from the One Year War, she served as a mentor to AEUG newcomers before becoming disillusioned with the conflict and falling under the influence of Paptimus Scirocco.

Biography

Early life and One Year War

During the One Year War, Reccoa lived on the Moon with her parents. When the conflict reached lunar territory, she lost her parents and joined an underground resistance group that fought against the Principality of Zeon. She survived many engagements whilst watching many of her friends and comrades die, experiences that profoundly shaped her personality and worldview.

The trauma of losing those close to her whilst surviving herself developed in Reccoa a peculiar psychological dependency on danger. She came to feel truly alive only when placing herself at risk, a trait that would later manifest in her tendency to volunteer for the most perilous missions.

Joining the AEUG

Following the end of the One Year War, Reccoa initially joined the Earth Federation Forces but became disillusioned with the organisation. When Bask Om’s Titans committed the atrocity at Colony 30, using poison gas against civilian protestors, Reccoa defected to the AEUG in defiance of the Titans’ brutality.

Reccoa served aboard the Argama as an intelligence operative and mobile suit pilot. Her warm and generous nature, combined with her tough independence, made her a valued mentor to AEUG newcomers. She provided crucial guidance to young pilots like Kamille Bidan, serving as a surrogate mother figure after his parents’ deaths.

The Gryps Conflict

Early operations

When the AEUG successfully stole three RX-178 Gundam Mk-II prototypes from the Titans, Reccoa remained aboard the Argama to assist in the escape. During negotiations over the return of the mobile suits, she advised Quattro Bajeena to comply with the Titans’ demands to avoid civilian casualties, demonstrating her pragmatic approach to warfare.

Reccoa played a crucial role in convincing Emma Sheen to defect from the Titans. Recognising Emma’s civil nature and naivety about her organisation’s true brutality, Reccoa revealed evidence of the Colony 30 massacre, successfully inducing Emma’s defection to the AEUG.

Jaburo mission

Assigned to scout the Federation’s Jaburo base, Reccoa worked alongside freelance journalist Kai Shiden. However, their reconnaissance mission went awry when they were captured by Titan forces and imprisoned within the base. When the Titans abandoned Jaburo and activated hidden nuclear charges, Reccoa and Kai were left to die in their cells.

Fortunately, Kamille Bidan was able to sense Reccoa’s danger through his developing Newtype abilities and rescued them on 11 May UC 0087. This event demonstrated the growing psychic connection between Reccoa and Kamille, which would later prove tragically significant.

Attraction to Scirocco

First encounter

During a mission to infiltrate the Titans’ ship Jupitris, Reccoa encountered Paptimus Scirocco for the first time. Using her photographic memory to gain access to the vessel, she feigned being lost to observe Scirocco up close. Rather than punish her obvious deception, Scirocco surprisingly acknowledged her true nature, immediately recognising her as a fellow Newtype and sensing the emotional void within her.

This encounter proved fateful. Reccoa found herself unable to remove Scirocco from her thoughts, his image overwhelming her photographic memory and preventing her from providing useful intelligence to Bright Noa. Scirocco’s charismatic influence began to plague her mind, causing her to occasionally lose position during battles as she succumbed to his psychic calls.

Growing disillusionment

As the war progressed, Reccoa’s feminine identity increasingly clashed with her role as a soldier. She sought emotional comfort from Quattro Bajeena, but he proved unable to provide the affection she desperately needed. This rejection left her vulnerable to Scirocco’s manipulation, who recognised her emotional fragility and exploited it through his Newtype abilities.

The final straw came during a joint operation where Reccoa supported Quattro’s MSN-00100 Hyaku Shiki with her MSG-05 Gelgoog. After their attack on Scirocco’s vessel, instead of returning to the Argama as ordered, Reccoa gave in to Scirocco’s influence and headed directly for the Dogosse Giar, effectively defecting to the Titans.

Service with the Titans

Defection and new role

Upon joining the Titans, Scirocco assigned Reccoa to pilot the PMX-000 Messala, playing further into her psychological conflicts by pointing out that her former comrades had failed to understand her emotional pain. He convinced her that she had been forced to maintain a facade of strength that she could no longer tolerate.

During her first sortie in the Messala, Reccoa was shocked to face Kamille in the MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam. Though outmatched, she attempted to flee but was pursued by her former protégé. Despite Kamille’s tearful pleas for her to return, Reccoa adamantly refused, though she did warn him about the completion of the Gryps 2 colony laser.

Moral compromise

To test her loyalty, Bask Om ordered Reccoa to observe as the Gryps 2 colony laser fired, killing numerous civilians. Though horrified by the massive loss of life, Reccoa realised she had made her choice and could no longer return to the AEUG.

Her moral degradation continued when Bask ordered her to lead a mission using poison gas to exterminate an entire colony—the same atrocity she had once revealed to Emma to convince her to join the AEUG. Though she held secret hopes that the Argama would arrive to stop her, the mission succeeded, marking her complete fall from grace.

Palace Athene

Scirocco eventually assigned Reccoa the PMX-001 Palace Athene, a heavily armed mobile suit designed for his elite team. She used this machine during the mission to rescue Sarah Zabiarov from AEUG custody and later participated in Scirocco’s coup against Bask Om, personally destroying the Dogosse Giar and killing Bask.

Despite her allegiance to the Titans, Reccoa still showed care for her former comrades. She was visibly shocked when learning of the deaths of Apolly Bay, Katz Kobayashi, and Henken Bekkener, demonstrating that some part of her former self remained.

Final battle and death

During the climactic Battle of Gryps, Reccoa faced her former comrades in the Palace Athene. Working alongside Yazan Gable, she nearly succeeded in defeating Kamille when Emma Sheen arrived in her RX-178 Gundam Mk-II.

Emma informed Reccoa of Katz and Henken’s deaths, asking whether she would truly be content if no one mourned her own passing. Reccoa defiantly replied that she had chosen her path and was aware of the consequences. The two women drew beam sabers for a final confrontation, with Reccoa insisting on living life her own way without interference.

Emma’s beam saber ultimately penetrated the Palace Athene’s cockpit, mortally wounding Reccoa. In her final moments, she warned Emma about men’s savagery and their treatment of women as tools for their own ambitions, expressing the bitter disillusionment that had driven her defection.

However, despite her tragic end, Reccoa’s spirit joined those of other fallen pilots to assist Kamille in his final battle against Paptimus Scirocco, suggesting that some part of her recognised the true nature of the man who had manipulated her.

Personality and traits

Reccoa was characterised as a warm and generous woman who maintained a tough, independent exterior. Her experiences during the One Year War had instilled in her a peculiar psychological need for danger—she felt truly alive only when placing herself at extreme risk. This manifested in her tendency to volunteer for the most perilous reconnaissance missions.

As a mentor to AEUG newcomers, Reccoa demonstrated remarkable empathy and understanding. She served as a surrogate mother figure to young pilots like Kamille Bidan and provided crucial emotional support during their traumatic induction into warfare. Her ability to recognise good character, as demonstrated with Emma Sheen, made her an effective intelligence operative.

However, Reccoa’s greatest weakness was her need for emotional validation and romantic affection. The loss of her parents and countless friends during the One Year War had created a deep psychological void that she desperately sought to fill. When Quattro proved unable to provide the emotional connection she craved, she became vulnerable to Scirocco’s manipulation.

Her defection revealed a complex psychological profile—someone torn between her identity as a woman and as a soldier. Reccoa’s fall was not simply one of betrayal, but of someone whose emotional needs overwhelmed her moral convictions. Even after committing atrocities, she retained enough conscience to hope for intervention, suggesting an internal conflict between her actions and her true nature.

Skills and abilities

Piloting skills

Reccoa was a skilled mobile suit pilot capable of operating various machines including the MSA-005 Methuss, PMX-000 Messala, and PMX-001 Palace Athene. Her experience as a resistance fighter during the One Year War had honed her combat instincts and tactical awareness.

Intelligence operations

Her background as an intelligence operative gave Reccoa exceptional skills in reconnaissance and espionage. She possessed a photographic memory that proved invaluable for gathering and retaining detailed information during infiltration missions. Her ability to assess character and manipulate situations, as demonstrated in Emma Sheen’s defection, made her highly effective in psychological operations.

Newtype abilities

Reccoa eventually displayed Newtype abilities, particularly heightened spatial awareness and empathic sensitivity. These abilities allowed her to sense the emotions and intentions of others, though they also made her more susceptible to Scirocco’s psychic manipulation. Her Newtype potential manifested most clearly during the final stages of the Gryps Conflict.

Relationships

Kamille Bidan

Reccoa served as a crucial mentor and mother figure to Kamille Bidan following his traumatic introduction to the AEUG. Their relationship developed a psychic dimension when Kamille’s Newtype abilities allowed him to sense her danger during the Jaburo mission. Her defection devastated Kamille, who initially refused to believe she had truly betrayed the AEUG. Despite ending as enemies, Reccoa’s spirit ultimately aided Kamille in his final confrontation with Scirocco.

Quattro Bajeena/Char Aznable

Reccoa sought romantic comfort from Quattro Bajeena, but his emotional distance and inability to reciprocate her feelings left her vulnerable to Scirocco’s manipulation. Their relationship was marked by mutual respect and professional collaboration, but Quattro’s cold treatment ultimately drove her to defection. She kissed him before their final joint mission, a gesture that highlighted her unrequited feelings.

Emma Sheen

Reccoa recognised Emma Sheen’s good character despite her Titans affiliation and successfully orchestrated her defection by revealing the truth about Colony 30. After Emma joined the AEUG, they maintained a cordial relationship, with Reccoa often serving as a messenger between Emma and Henken Bekkener. Emma was deeply offended by Reccoa’s defection and ultimately became her executioner, viewing her former friend’s betrayal as a waste of her potential.

Paptimus Scirocco

Paptimus Scirocco recognised Reccoa as a fellow Newtype and expertly manipulated her emotional vulnerabilities. He sensed the void in her heart created by war and systematically exploited her need for validation and affection. Despite joining the Titans ostensibly to serve him, Reccoa became increasingly disillusioned with Scirocco’s true nature, though she remained trapped by her emotional dependency until her death.

Mecha

MSA-005 Methuss

Reccoa initially piloted the MSA-005 Methuss, a transformable mobile suit that served as a testbed for the MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam. As one of the first true transformable mobile suits, the Methuss provided valuable combat data whilst allowing Reccoa to perform reconnaissance missions. She shared piloting duties with Fa Yuiry, who took over the machine after Reccoa’s defection.

PMX-000 Messala

After joining the Titans, Scirocco assigned Reccoa the PMX-000 Messala, a large mobile armor with exceptional speed and firepower. This machine’s impressive capabilities reflected Scirocco’s confidence in her abilities and served as a symbol of her new allegiance. She first encountered Kamille whilst piloting this unit, leading to their emotionally charged confrontation.

PMX-001 Palace Athene

For her final battles, Reccoa piloted the PMX-001 Palace Athene, one of Scirocco’s custom mobile suits designed for his elite team. This heavily armed machine featured twin beam guns, numerous missile launchers, and exceptional manoeuvrability. It was whilst piloting the Palace Athene that she met her end in combat against Emma Sheen’s Gundam Mk-II.

Behind the scenes

Reccoa Londe was voiced by Masako Katsuki in Japanese and Meredith Taylor-Parry in the English dub. Masako Katsuki also voiced Rondo Mina Sahaku in later Gundam series, a connection referenced in various video games where these characters interact.

The character represents one of director Tomino Yoshiyuki’s explorations of the psychological toll of warfare, particularly on women caught between their identity as soldiers and their emotional needs. Her tragic arc serves as a cautionary tale about manipulation and the consequences of seeking validation from the wrong sources.

Reccoa’s defection remains one of the most controversial character developments in the Gundam franchise, with fans debating whether her actions were justified by her emotional state or represented a fundamental betrayal of her principles. This complexity reflects Tomino’s intention to create morally ambiguous characters rather than simple heroes and villains.

Appearances

• Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (episodes 3-49)
• Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Zeta Gundam
• Dynasty Warriors: Gundam series
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs series