Relena Darlian

Relena Darlian (リリーナ・ドーリアン, Rirīna Dōrian), real name Relena Peacecraft (リリーナ・ピースクラフト, Rirīna Pīsukurafuto), was the main heroine of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and the last surviving female heir to the throne of the Sanc Kingdom. Born into the royal Peacecraft family in After Colony 180, she was raised in hiding by Vice-Minister Darlian following the United Earth Sphere Alliance’s destruction of her kingdom. She encountered Gundam pilot Heero Yuy by chance in AC 195, becoming entangled in the war between the colonies and Earth and eventually becoming the leading voice for pacifism and the future of humanity.

Overview

Relena began as a privileged student at Saint Gabriel Academy, unaware of her true heritage as a princess of the destroyed Sanc Kingdom. Her life changed dramatically when she encountered Heero Yuy, a Gundam pilot who had crash-landed near her school. Despite his repeated death threats, she pursued him, drawn by curiosity and a growing connection that would define both their lives.

After learning her true identity as Relena Peacecraft following her adoptive father’s assassination, she embraced her heritage and the pacifist philosophy of the Peacecraft family. Throughout the war, she evolved from a naive schoolgirl into a powerful political figure who used her position to advocate for total disarmament and peaceful resolution of conflicts. Her unwavering commitment to pacifism, even in the face of military aggression, made her both a symbol of hope and a controversial figure.

Despite her youth, Relena demonstrated remarkable political acumen and personal strength, eventually becoming Queen of the Earth Sphere and later Vice Foreign Minister of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. Her relationship with Heero, though complicated by their opposing roles as pacifist and soldier, remained central to her journey.

Appearance

Relena stood 154 centimetres tall and weighed 38 kilogrammes at age fifteen. She had honey blonde hair that she typically wore in a refined style befitting her upper-class upbringing, and distinctive blue-green eyes. Her fair complexion and delicate features gave her an aristocratic appearance that suited her royal heritage, though she remained unaware of it for most of her childhood.

During her time as a student at Saint Gabriel Academy, she wore the school’s uniform. After reclaiming her identity as a Peacecraft princess, she adopted more formal attire appropriate to her station, including elegant dresses and the representative uniform of the Sanc Kingdom. When she became Queen of the Earth Sphere, she wore a distinctive white dress designed after Princess Ann’s gown from the 1953 film Roman Holiday, reflecting her resemblance to actress Audrey Hepburn.

Personality & traits

Relena underwent significant character development throughout the war, transforming from a sheltered, privileged girl into a mature political leader. Initially wistful and somewhat naive, she demonstrated surprising resilience when confronted with harsh realities. Even after Heero Yuy threatened to kill her upon their first meeting, she remained fascinated by him and pursued contact despite the danger, showing both courage and stubborn determination.

As she learned the truth about her past and witnessed the horrors of war, Relena matured rapidly and dedicated herself to her family’s pacifist ideals. However, she was not blindly idealistic—she admitted in Endless Waltz that peace could not be gained simply by handing it to people and that some fighting was necessary. This pragmatic understanding of peace distinguished her from naive pacifists.

Relena possessed exceptional emotional strength that even the Gundam pilots acknowledged, freely admitting she was stronger in character than they were. She demonstrated remarkable forgiveness, maintaining a close relationship with Heero despite his initial threat to kill her. Her kindness extended even to her enemies, as shown when she refused to shoot Lady Une out of revenge and later when she declined to kill Zechs Merquise, her own brother, despite being offered the opportunity.

Her feelings for Heero ran deep, and she went to great lengths throughout the series to be near him. Whilst their personalities conflicted—he was a soldier living only to fight whilst she was a pacifist, he appeared emotionless whilst she was often emotional—they developed a profound connection. Heero gradually came to care for her in return, vowing to protect her even if it meant his death, ultimately leading to their marriage.

Biography

Early life

Relena Peacecraft was born on April 7, AC 180, to King Marticus Rex and Queen Katrina Peacecraft of the Sanc Kingdom. She was the younger sister of Milliardo Peacecraft. King Peacecraft was a great admirer of the colonial leader Heero Yuy, who advocated total pacifism as a way to stop wars between nations.

However, this pacifist stance led to the downfall of the kingdom when the United Earth Sphere Alliance invaded the Sanc Kingdom in AC 182, viewing its pacifism as a threat to their military agenda. The Alliance slaughtered the royal family, and Relena, only a baby at the time, would have died as well had not a local politician loyal to the Peacecraft family, Vice-Minister Darlian, fled the invasion with her. He and his wife Mareen adopted Relena and raised her as their own daughter, keeping her true identity secret to protect her from those who might seek to eliminate the Peacecraft bloodline entirely.

Relena grew up in luxury and privilege, unaware of her royal heritage. She attended the elite Saint Gabriel Academy and lived the life of a wealthy diplomat’s daughter. However, in her teens, she was targeted by assassins—though she remained unaware of the attempts on her life, as they were thwarted by OZ rookie Zechs Merquise, who was in fact her elder brother Milliardo. Realising Relena was his younger sister but shamed to face her with blood-stained hands, Zechs left without revealing his identity to her.

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing

Meeting Heero Yuy

In the days leading up to Relena’s fifteenth birthday in AC 195, she discovered Heero Yuy washed up and injured on a beach after he had crash-landed his Wing Gundam in the Pacific Ocean following a battle with Zechs Merquise. After waking, Heero attempted suicide with his spacesuit’s built-in bomb, but the device had been rendered useless by sea water. He immediately fled, stealing an ambulance she had called for him.

Heero reappeared the next day as a new student at Saint Gabriel Academy. When Relena attempted to speak to him, inviting him to her birthday party, he refused and threatened to kill her, as she knew his secret. Rather than being frightened, she became intrigued by the mysterious boy. She fled her own birthday party to find Heero attempting to destroy his disabled Gundam with stolen torpedoes, only to be interrupted by Duo Maxwell, another Gundam pilot.

When Heero was subsequently captured by the Alliance and held in a military hospital under Sally Po’s watch, Relena came to visit him. However, Duo had already broken Heero out before she and Sally could arrive.

Discovery of her true identity

Soon after, Relena accompanied her father on a trip to space to negotiate with colony leaders. However, under orders from Treize Khushrenada, Lady Une assassinated Vice Foreign Minister Darlian with a bomb. Relena attempted to prevent the assassination, thinking Colonel Une had forgotten the compact the bomb was hidden within, but was too late.

After the explosion, Relena and her dying father were taken by colonist freedom fighters led by Doctor J, who revealed information about Heero’s mission. Her adoptive father passed away despite the colonists’ best efforts, but not before revealing to Relena her true identity as the lost princess of the Sanc Kingdom’s Peacecraft family. Warning her not to trust OZ, Doctor J sent Relena on a ship back to Earth, where she grappled with the truth of her past and feelings of revenge against OZ.

Saint Gabriel Academy dance and OZ attack

Discovering that Heero was transferring out of Saint Gabriel Academy, Relena confronted him about his mission and asked him to grant her request to accompany her to the school’s dance before leaving. During their dance, OZ attacked the school grounds. Heero used his Wing Gundam to fight back, believing OZ was searching for him. Instead of fleeing, Relena chased after him, forcing him to protect her from OZ’s attacking mobile suits. However, he departed before she could speak to him. OZ discontinued their assassination attempt on Treize Khushrenada’s orders, at Zechs’ request.

Attending a party where Lady Une was present, Relena attempted to shoot her in revenge for Vice-Minister Darlian, but missed and escaped. Before she could be captured, Lucrezia Noin rescued her under orders from Treize, as a favour to Zechs.

Restoration as Princess of Sanc Kingdom

Noin brought Relena to the Sanc Kingdom, which Zechs had recently liberated from Alliance rule, reinstating her as the monarch of the country. However, Relena continued to take a stand against OZ, boldly denouncing them in front of a crowd of Romefeller Foundation members.

Continuing her search for Heero, she found information that he and Zechs were about to battle at Antarctica and pleaded for Noin to take her there to prevent the fighting. However, once there, Zechs’ aggressive attitude disgusted her, and she told Heero to defeat him—prompting Noin to reveal that Zechs was really her brother Milliardo. A group of Romefeller mobile suits soon attacked, and Heero and Zechs covered Relena’s escape.

Sanc Kingdom governance and Dorothy Catalonia

Negotiations with Romefeller continued whilst the Gundams operated in space, and Romefeller’s Duke Dermail seized power over OZ from Treize. During this time, Dorothy Catalonia, Duke Dermail’s granddaughter, came to study at the Sanc Kingdom’s school, where Relena taught pacifism to children of nobles. Dorothy acted as a devil’s advocate to Relena’s ideals whilst secretly spying for her grandfather.

Despite ongoing negotiations, it became clear that Romefeller had no intentions of leaving Sanc untouched. When members of the Treize Faction took refuge at the kingdom’s borders, OZ used this as an excuse to invade. Although the pacifist nation was technically unable to defend itself, Noin had secretly created a small army of white Taurus mobile suits to protect the kingdom and requested the Gundam pilots’ assistance. In the battle’s aftermath, Relena sanctioned Noin and the Gundam pilots’ defensive actions, accepting the necessity of limited military force.

Queen of the Earth Sphere

When Relena attended a meeting with Romefeller, they forced her to denounce Milliardo’s status as a representative of Sanc, citing his anti-pacifistic actions in space. When Romefeller attempted to assassinate her as she left, Quatre Raberba Winner and Noin rescued her, though her butler Pagan was injured.

When Romefeller’s forces moved against the Sanc Kingdom a second time, Relena eventually surrendered rather than allow Sanc to be destroyed again. Romefeller decided to make her the new figurehead queen of their “World Nation”, announcing her as leader of all the Earth Sphere and the colonies. However, Relena refused to bend to their will and instead used her position to further her ideals of pacifism. Amazingly, her persuasive views on disarmament to set an example for others managed to sway the majority of Romefeller’s members, ousting Duke Dermail, who desired to maintain a dictatorship over the Earth Sphere. This was enough to convince Heero not to kill her, as he initially believed she would only bring about false peace as Romefeller’s puppet.

White Fang conflict and final battles

Around this time, the colony rebel faction White Fang declared war on Earth. To lead the World Nation forces against them in battle, Treize returned from exile to relieve Relena of her duties. Now free from political constraints, Relena went to space attempting to stop Milliardo, now leading White Fang, but was unable to sway him. Dorothy Catalonia offered her a gun to end it all, but Relena refused to believe that assassination would bring true peace, nor would she kill her own brother.

Heero rescued her from the battleship Libra to protect her from the ensuing battle, leaving her with Mike Howard and Lady Une at the World Nation’s command post on MO-II whilst he battled Zechs. Lady Une presented Relena with a gun, offering her a chance to take vengeance for her adoptive father’s death. However, Relena refused the opportunity, demonstrating her commitment to pacifism even when given the means for personal revenge.

In the war’s aftermath, Relena became Vice Foreign Minister of the new Earth Sphere Unified Nation. Heero left her a teddy bear for her birthday along with a card, which she tore up as he walked away, telling him to hand it in person to her next time.

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz

In the aftermath of the Eve Wars, most of the world’s mobile weapons were destroyed, and Relena served as Vice Foreign Minister between Earth and the colonies. In AC 196, whilst on a diplomatic meeting to Colony L3 X-18999, Relena was kidnapped by soldiers of the Mariemaia Army when her tea was drugged. She awoke to find Mariemaia Khushrenada in her room, who introduced herself as Treize’s illegitimate daughter.

Because Relena was in the Barton Foundation’s hands, they could take over a virtually defenceless Earth without incident. However, Zechs, presumed dead, destroyed the first wave of mobile suit transports but relented when Mariemaia’s grandfather Dekim Barton threatened to initiate the original Operation Meteor by crashing L3 X-18999 onto Earth.

When the Mariemaia Army occupied the Earth Sphere capital in Brussels, Belgium, Relena was sealed in a bunker with Dekim and Mariemaia. She was forced to watch as the Preventers and Gundams attempted to defeat the Serpent mobile suits without killing the pilots. Relena broadcast a message telling the world they must stand up for themselves, only for Dekim to cut off her transmission.

Eventually, the Gundams ran low on power until Heero’s Wing Zero appeared and fired its powerful beam cannon at the bunker to penetrate its defensive shields, despite knowing he might endanger Relena. Relena and Mariemaia’s lives were saved by Lady Une, who had infiltrated the bunker and dove on them to knock them out of the path of falling debris. Soon, a crowd of civilians led by Chang Wufei appeared to stand up against the remaining Mariemaia soldiers.

Dekim refused to accept defeat and called on Mariemaia to assume her position as head of the Earth Sphere. However, Relena stood in her way and slapped sense into her. Enraged, Dekim brought up a gun, and Relena welcomed him to take the shot, stating that the public was expected to obey the victor. However, Mariemaia took the bullet meant for Relena. Before Dekim could take another shot, he was killed by a Treize loyalist.

Relena rushed to Mariemaia’s side, who apologised. She then spotted Heero brandishing a gun, but instead, Heero decided to never take a life again, stating he had already killed Mariemaia by creating the circumstances that led to her being shot. Heero collapsed from exhaustion, and Relena caught him, expressing her relief that mankind’s battles were finally over. In the epilogue, Relena continued her role as Vice Foreign Minister, with Heero watching over her as her bodyguard.

Later life

In the spring following Endless Waltz, Relena hosted her seventeenth birthday party, which was interrupted by terrorists who took her and the other guests hostage, demanding a ransom and threatening to detonate a nuclear weapon within the Sanc Kingdom. She noticed one of the terrorists was Zechs, who had presumably gone undercover within the group to prevent their success.

During Heero’s rescue attempt, Relena was seriously wounded by Dix-Neuf Noinheim, who had been impersonating her brother. She was saved by medical nanomachines extracted from Pagan’s body. However, to disarm the nuclear device planted inside the Sanc Kingdom, Relena was forced to activate the Perfect Peace Program (PPP), which would cause the death of countless innocent civilians when she died. To prevent PPP from being triggered, she entered cryosleep.

In Frozen Teardrop, set in the Mars Century era, Relena was brought to Mars within a capsule with the codename “Little Prince” to protect her and prevent the PPP trigger. She was awakened in MC-0022 after the assassination of Dix-Neuf Noinheim, who had been posing as Milliardo Peacecraft, to take his place as the second President of the Mars Federation. She appeared wearing a mask identical to that which Zechs once wore and resumed the name Relena Peacecraft.

In the epilogue of Frozen Teardrop, Heero and Relena had been unofficially married for five months and were living together on Mars. Heero had proposed to her by card, and she immediately accepted after noting he finally did what she told him to do years ago by handing it to her in person. In their garden, they discussed their future, with Relena showing him white roses she planted representing purity and mutual love.

Skills & abilities

Relena was raised in upper-class society and was endowed with the knowledge and culture of high society, excelling in socialising and communicating. She was a natural speaker, able to convey her thoughts and feelings to her audience for open dialogue and continued negotiations. Her speeches were so persuasive that she managed to sway the majority of the Romefeller Foundation’s members to support disarmament, despite their militaristic inclinations.

As a princess and politician, whilst not a soldier, she had her own personal army for protection and could authorise military operations if needed. She demonstrated this when she sanctioned Lucrezia Noin and the Gundam pilots’ defensive actions during the Romefeller invasion of the Sanc Kingdom.

Relena possessed exceptional deductive abilities. For example, when Mariemaia Khushrenada barely gave her any hints about her abduction, Relena quickly deduced that Mariemaia and her coup were using Relena’s influence with the people of Earth. She was also able to convince Mariemaia that what she was doing was wrong until Dekim Barton interfered.

Due to her actions and positions, she held enormous political influence, a major reason why she was kidnapped during the Mariemaia uprising. She was noted to be very strong in character, even stronger than the Gundam pilots, which they freely admitted was true.

Relena also received some weapons training, as demonstrated when she used a pistol against Doctor J’s assistants and later attempted to shoot Lady Une out of revenge (though she missed intentionally or due to emotional conflict).

Relationships

Heero Yuy

Relena’s relationship with Heero Yuy was the most significant in her life. From their first meeting when she found him injured on the beach, she was drawn to him despite—or perhaps because of—his coldness and death threats. Even after he threatened to kill her for knowing his secret, she remained fascinated by him and pursued contact throughout the war.

Their relationship was complicated by their opposing philosophies: Relena was a pacifist dedicated to ending war, whilst Heero was a soldier who lived only to fight. Despite this fundamental conflict, they developed a profound connection. Heero gradually came to care for her deeply, vowing to protect her even if it meant his death. He rescued her multiple times and ultimately served as her bodyguard after the Eve Wars.

Relena’s love for Heero was constant and unwavering, even when he appeared emotionless or pushed her away. She went to great lengths just to be near him, and her emotional strength helped him reconnect with his own suppressed humanity. Their unique relationship ultimately led to their marriage in the Mars Century era, with Heero proposing by card as she had asked him to do years earlier.

Zechs Merquise

Zechs Merquise, whose real name was Milliardo Peacecraft, was Relena’s elder brother. However, she remained unaware of this connection for most of the war. Zechs had survived the United Earth Sphere Alliance’s destruction of the Sanc Kingdom and joined OZ under an alias to seek revenge.

When Lucrezia Noin revealed Zechs’ true identity at Antarctica, Relena was shocked but accepted her brother. However, their differing philosophies created tension—Zechs pursued military solutions and revenge whilst Relena advocated pacifism. When Zechs led White Fang in their war against Earth, Relena tried to stop him but was unable to sway him from his destructive path.

Despite their conflicts, Relena’s love for her brother remained strong. When Dorothy Catalonia offered her a gun to kill Zechs and end the war, Relena refused, stating she would never kill her own brother. Their relationship remained complex throughout their lives, with Zechs often working behind the scenes to protect her.

Lucrezia Noin

Lucrezia Noin served as both protector and mentor to Relena. She rescued Relena from OZ on Treize Khushrenada’s orders (as a favour to Zechs) and brought her to the Sanc Kingdom. Noin supported Relena’s rule and, despite the kingdom’s pacifist principles, secretly created a defensive army to protect it from Romefeller aggression.

Noin was also the one who revealed to Relena that Zechs was her brother Milliardo, helping her understand her family’s complicated history. Their relationship was one of mutual respect, with Noin serving as Relena’s aide and advisor. In the Mars Century era, Noin remained with Relena as her assistant.

Vice-Minister Darlian

Vice-Minister Darlian was Relena’s adoptive father who raised her from infancy after rescuing her from the destruction of the Sanc Kingdom. He gave her a loving home and protected her identity for fifteen years. When Lady Une assassinated him, his dying act was to reveal to Relena her true heritage as a Peacecraft princess and warn her not to trust OZ. His death was a turning point that set Relena on her path to reclaiming her identity and pursuing pacifism.

Lady Une

Relena’s relationship with Lady Une was complex and evolved significantly throughout the war. Une assassinated Vice-Minister Darlian, Relena’s adoptive father, which initially filled Relena with rage and desire for revenge. She attempted to shoot Une but missed.

However, their relationship transformed over time. Une later offered Relena a gun to take revenge, but Relena refused, demonstrating her commitment to pacifism over personal vengeance. During the Mariemaia uprising, Une infiltrated the bunker and saved Relena’s life by shielding her from falling debris after Heero fired on the bunker. This act of sacrifice cemented their reconciliation, and they became allies in the post-war era.

Dorothy Catalonia

Dorothy Catalonia served as Relena’s ideological opposite and challenger. The granddaughter of Duke Dermail, Dorothy came to the Sanc Kingdom ostensibly as a student but actually as a spy for Romefeller. She acted as a devil’s advocate to Relena’s pacifist ideals, constantly challenging her beliefs and exposing potential flaws in her philosophy.

Despite their opposing views, there was a strange respect between them. Dorothy offered Relena a gun to kill Zechs and end the war, but Relena refused, maintaining her principles. Their relationship demonstrated the tension between idealism and pragmatism that defined much of the conflict.

Behind the scenes

Conception and design

Relena Darlian was designed as the main heroine of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. Her character was based on Sayla Mass from Mobile Suit Gundam. Both were exiled princesses whose parents (Zeon Zum Deikun and King Peacecraft) were killed but were saved by a close confidant (Don Teabolo Mass and Vice-Minister Darlian). Both of their brothers (Char Aznable and Zechs Merquise) fought against and alongside the main protagonists of their respective series (Amuro Ray and Heero Yuy).

Relena’s appearance was inspired by actress Audrey Hepburn. Her “Queen of the World” dress was specifically designed after Princess Ann’s dress in the 1953 film Roman Holiday, highlighting the visual parallel between Relena and Hepburn’s iconic princess role.

Her birthday, April 7, AC 180, was significant within the series and to the franchise. Within the series, April 7 was when the original Heero Yuy was assassinated in AC 175, and when Operation Meteor began in AC 195. In the real world, April 7 was when Mobile Suit Gundam Wing first premiered on Japanese television in 1995, and when Mobile Suit Gundam first premiered in 1979.

Relena was the only character in the series to have a confirmed specific birthday date, emphasising her importance to the narrative.

Voice acting

In the Japanese version, Relena was voiced by Akiko Yajima, whilst Lisa Ann Beley provided her voice in the English dub.

Reception

Relena became a popular and controversial character amongst fans. Her unwavering pacifism and persistent pursuit of Heero made her both beloved and criticised. Some viewers found her idealism inspiring, whilst others viewed her as naive or annoying, particularly in her constant searching for Heero.

In Super Robot Wars games and Dynasty Warriors Gundam series, Relena developed relationships with other political figures and princess characters from different Gundam series, including Dianna Soreil, Lacus Clyne, Cagalli Yula Athha, and Marina Ismail, emphasising her role as a voice for peace across the franchise.

Appearances

Relena Darlian appeared in the following works:

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (anime series, episodes 1-49)
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz (OVA)
New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Frozen Teardrop (novel series)
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Episode Zero (manga)
New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Blind Target (manga)
New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Battlefield of Pacifists (novel)
New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Ground Zero (manga)
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Endless Waltz: Glory of the Losers (manga)
Various video games including SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays and Dynasty Warriors Gundam series

External links

Relena Darlian at Absolute Anime
Relena Darlian on the Gundam Wiki