Riddhe Marcenas

Riddhe Marcenas was an Earth Federation Forces pilot and heir to the influential Marcenas political dynasty who served with Londo Bell during the Laplace Incident in UC 0096. Born into one of the Federation’s most powerful families, he enlisted in the military to escape the constraints of his privileged upbringing and make a name for himself as a mobile suit pilot.

Biography

Early life

Riddhe was born in UC 0073 as the heir to the influential Marcenas family, descendants of Ricardo Marcenas, the first Prime Minister of the Earth Federation. His father, Ronan Marcenas, was a powerful politician serving as chairman of the Settlement Issues Council within the Federation’s Central Assembly. Despite his lavish and privileged upbringing, Riddhe was uncomfortable with his family’s political legacy and chose to pursue a military career instead.

Laplace Incident

During the attack on Industrial 7 in UC 0096, Riddhe served as an ensign with Londo Bell aboard the Nahel Argama. While piloting his RGZ-95 ReZEL, he rescued three civilian refugees, including a young woman calling herself Audrey Burne, who was actually Mineva Lao Zabi, the Princess of Zeon. This encounter would profoundly affect his life.

Riddhe quickly formed a bond with fellow pilot Banagher Links and developed romantic feelings for Mineva. When his ReZEL was destroyed in battle against Full Frontal’s Sinanju, he received a new unit, the transformable MSN-001A1 Delta Plus.

Journey to Earth

Believing his family could help resolve the conflict, Riddhe helped Mineva escape from the Nahel Argama and escorted her to Earth using his Delta Plus. However, upon arriving at the Marcenas estate, his father Ronan revealed the dark truth about their family’s connection to Laplace’s Box and their complicity in maintaining the Federation’s power structure. This revelation devastated Riddhe, especially when Mineva rejected his proposal and his ideals.

Descent into darkness

After being transferred to the Ra Cailum under Captain Bright Noa, Riddhe participated in the Battle of Torrington. When Banagher hesitated to destroy Loni Garvey’s Shamblo, Riddhe took the Unicorn’s beam magnum and killed her himself, demonstrating his willingness to make hard choices that Banagher could not.

Alberto Vist later manipulated Riddhe’s growing frustration and jealousy, providing him with the RX-0(N) Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee Norn to prevent the opening of Laplace’s Box. Consumed by rage and hatred for Newtypes, Riddhe turned against his former comrades and engaged Banagher in battle.

Newtype awakening and redemption

During his duel with Banagher’s Full Armor Unicorn, Riddhe awakened to his own Newtype abilities. However, his newfound powers were tainted by anger and hatred. When Marida Cruz intervened in her damaged Kshatriya, Riddhe killed her in a moment of rage, an act that horrified him and finally broke through his delusion.

Marida’s spirit reached out to him in his final moments, calming his anger and helping him realise the depth of his errors. Riddhe then allied with Banagher to stop Full Frontal and the Neo Zeong, and later helped prevent the Gryps 2 colony laser from destroying Industrial 7, fully awakening his Newtype powers in the process.

Post-war life

After the Laplace Incident concluded, Riddhe was detained for six months but promoted to lieutenant junior grade in recognition of his role as a Newtype who drew out the power of the Banshee. He later resigned from the military and became his father’s private secretary, beginning a political career as “Marcenas Jr.” He also developed a friendship with Alberto Vist due to their shared experiences during the incident.

Personality & traits

Riddhe was fundamentally a loyal, well-spoken, and fearless soldier, though his privileged upbringing sheltered him from the harsh realities of the world. He possessed a strong sense of duty and initially believed the Earth Federation would eventually do the right thing despite its flaws. A believer in luck, he wore a bracelet with a miniature biplane charm during combat as his good luck charm.

His sheltered background made him naive about political realities, and he struggled with the moral complexities of war. When forced to confront the truth about his family’s legacy and the nature of the Federation’s power, Riddhe experienced a psychological crisis that manifested as hatred for Newtypes and Gundams, ironically while piloting a Gundam himself and possessing Newtype abilities.

After killing Marida Cruz, Riddhe underwent a profound transformation, finally understanding the consequences of his actions and choosing to work towards a better future rather than preserving a flawed system.

Skills & abilities

Riddhe proved himself a skilled mobile suit pilot on multiple occasions, with Londo Bell ace Nigel Garrett acknowledging his capabilities. Though initially assessed as not being a Newtype, he awakened to his abilities during the Laplace Incident, ultimately achieving the same green psychoframe resonance as the Unicorn Gundam.

His Newtype powers allowed him to sense the emotions and thoughts of others, though this initially overwhelmed him when combined with his emotional turmoil. By the end of the conflict, he had learned to control these abilities and use them constructively.

Relationships

Mineva Lao Zabi

Riddhe’s relationship with Mineva Lao Zabi (under the alias Audrey Burne) was central to his character development. He fell in love with her after rescuing her from Industrial 7, and his desire to protect her drove many of his actions throughout the conflict. However, their different ideologies created conflict—whilst Riddhe wanted to preserve the existing system despite its flaws, Mineva sought to reveal the truth and change the world.

Banagher Links

Initially friends and fellow pilots, Riddhe’s relationship with Banagher Links became complicated by jealousy and ideological differences. Riddhe envied Banagher’s freedom and his relationship with Mineva, leading to their confrontation as enemy pilots. However, their underlying friendship ultimately allowed them to reconcile and work together against Full Frontal.

Ronan Marcenas

Riddhe’s relationship with his father Ronan was strained by his rejection of the family’s political legacy. Learning the truth about the Marcenas family’s role in maintaining Federation power deeply affected Riddhe, though he eventually returned to work with his father in politics after the war.

Mecha

RGZ-95 ReZEL

Riddhe’s initial mobile suit assignment with Londo Bell, the RGZ-95 ReZEL served him well during the early stages of the Laplace Incident. He used it to rescue civilians from Industrial 7 and fought bravely against Neo Zeon forces, though the unit was ultimately destroyed in combat against Full Frontal’s Sinanju.

MSN-001A1 Delta Plus

After his ReZEL was destroyed, Riddhe received the transformable MSN-001A1 Delta Plus, which became his signature unit for much of the conflict. The Delta Plus’s atmospheric re-entry capability allowed him to escort Mineva to Earth, and its balanced performance made it suitable for both space and atmospheric combat. However, the unit was severely damaged when Marida Cruz mistook it for a Gundam and attacked it.

RX-0(N) Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee Norn

Alberto Vist provided Riddhe with the RX-0(N) Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee Norn, hoping to use his anger and hatred to destroy the Unicorn Gundam and prevent the opening of Laplace’s Box. Initially, Riddhe used the Banshee’s power for destructive purposes, but after his redemption, he learned to harness its psychoframe system constructively, achieving the same green glow as its sister unit and helping to stop the Gryps 2 laser.

Behind the scenes

Riddhe Marcenas was created by Harutoshi Fukui for the Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn novel series. His character design was created by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, who gave him the same blonde hair and blue eyes as his ancestor Ricardo Marcenas, emphasising their family connection.

In keeping with the series’ theme based on The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, Riddhe represents the “Lion,” with Mineva Lao Zabi as the “Lady” and Banagher Links as the “Unicorn.” His acquisition of the Banshee, which was designed with lion motifs, reinforces this symbolism.

Voice acting

Riddhe was voiced by Namikawa Daisuke in Japanese, who also voiced other Universal Century characters including Alfred Izuruha and Katz Kobayashi. In the English dub, he was voiced by Yuri Lowenthal.

Appearances

• Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
• Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096
• Mobile Suit Gundam UC: Return of the Lion (protagonist)
• Super Robot Wars V
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs series
• Mobile Suit Gundam UC Engage