Seabook Arno

Seabook Arno (シーブック・アノー, Shībukku Anō) was a 17-year-old civilian student who became the pilot of the F91 Gundam during the Crossbone Vanguard’s invasion of Frontier Side in Universal Century 0123. His accidental involvement in the conflict led to his emergence as a Newtype and resistance fighter against the Cosmo Babylonia movement.

Following the conflict, Seabook adopted the alias Kincade Nau and became a mobile suit pilot and key figure in the Jupiter sphere, later appearing in Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam as an experienced combat veteran.

Biography

Early Life

Seabook was born in UC 0106 to Leslie and Reese Arno. He grew up during a period of relative peace in the Universal Century, forty-four years after the One Year War and thirty years after the Second Neo Zeon War. As a student at Frontier IV colony, Seabook lived an ordinary civilian life, unaware that his generation would face a new conflict.

UC 0123: Crossbone Vanguard Invasion

In March UC 0123, the Crossbone Vanguard – military forces of the aristocratic Cosmo Babylonia movement – launched a surprise attack on Frontier Side. The invasion aimed to establish Cosmo Babylonia as an independent spacenoid nation under the Ronah Family’s leadership.

Seabook was separated from his family during the initial attack. In the chaos, he encountered Cecily Fairchild, a young woman also caught in the invasion. Together, they fled the combat zones, witnessing the Crossbone Vanguard’s brutality towards civilians who resisted their “noble” rule.

Becoming a Gundam Pilot

During their escape, Seabook and Cecily encountered the Space Ark, a civilian evacuation vessel carrying refugees from the invasion. Aboard the ship was the F91 Gundam, a prototype mobile suit developed by the Strategic Naval Research Institute.

When Crossbone Vanguard forces attacked the Space Ark, Seabook – with no prior mobile suit training – piloted the F91 to defend the refugees. His natural aptitude and emergent Newtype abilities allowed him to operate the advanced machine effectively despite his lack of experience.

Relationship with Cecily

Seabook’s relationship with Cecily Fairchild became complicated when he discovered her true identity: she was Berah Ronah, daughter of the Ronah Family that led Cosmo Babylonia. Despite being on opposite sides of the conflict, their genuine connection persisted, creating personal tragedy alongside the political conflict.

Final Battle

Seabook piloted the F91 in the climactic battle against Crossbone Vanguard’s leader, Iron Mask (Carozzo Ronah, Cecily’s father). The F91’s unique capabilities, including its Mass-Energy-Speed (MEPE) system and Variable Speed Beam Rifle, proved decisive in combating Iron Mask’s superior numbers and resources.

The battle’s conclusion saw Cosmo Babylonia’s defeat and Iron Mask’s death, but at the cost of countless lives and Seabook’s loss of his normal life. His experiences transformed him from an ordinary student into a hardened combat veteran.

Later Life: Kincade Nau

Following the conflict, Seabook adopted the alias Kincade Nau and continued operating as a mobile suit pilot. He eventually traveled to the Jupiter sphere, where he became involved in conflicts depicted in Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam. As Kincade, he served as mentor to younger pilot Tobia Arronax, bringing his combat experience and Newtype abilities to new conflicts.

Personality & traits

Seabook was initially characterised as an ordinary student – intelligent, good-natured, but unremarkable. The invasion’s trauma forced rapid maturation, revealing:

Natural leadership abilities under pressure
Quick adaptability to combat situations
Strong moral compass driving opposition to Crossbone Vanguard’s methods
Genuine empathy even for enemies (particularly Cecily)

Skills & abilities

Seabook demonstrated emergent Newtype abilities during combat:

Enhanced spatial awareness allowing effective mobile suit operation
Intuitive understanding of the F91’s systems
Ability to sense enemy intentions
Emotional resonance with other Newtypes (particularly Cecily)

His abilities developed naturally through combat stress rather than training or enhancement, representing the spontaneous Newtype awakening that earlier UC figures like Amuro Ray experienced.

Legacy

Seabook Arno represented a new generation of Gundam pilots – unlike Amuro, Kamille, or Judau, Seabook had no connection to previous conflicts. His story demonstrated that forty years after the One Year War, new conflicts would create new heroes, and that the cycle of warfare persisted despite humanity’s space migration.

His transition from civilian student to combat veteran to mentor (as Kincade Nau) illustrated how UC conflicts traumatized individuals whilst creating experienced fighters who would shape subsequent events.

Behind the Scenes

Seabook Arno was created by director Tomino Yoshiyuki for Mobile Suit Gundam F91. Character designer Yasuhiko Yoshikazu designed Seabook to appear as an ordinary teenager rather than a heroic figure, reinforcing that he was an everyman thrust into extraordinary circumstances.

The character’s later appearance in Crossbone Gundam as Kincade Nau allowed exploration of how the F91 conflict’s trauma affected him long-term, showing that even “victorious” pilots carried psychological scars.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Gundam F91
Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam – As Kincade Nau

External links

Seabook Arno on the Gundam Wiki