Second Neo Zeon War – MechaBay | Char's Counterattack

The Second Neo Zeon War (第二次ネオ・ジオン抗争, Dainiji Neo Jion Kōsō), also known as Char’s Rebellion (シャアの反乱, Shā no Hanran), was a military conflict in UC 0093 between the second Neo Zeon faction led by Char Aznable and the Earth Federation Forces task force Londo Bell. Char’s ultimate plan was to drop the asteroid Axis onto Earth, thus forcing its inhabitants to move to the space colonies to push humanity’s evolution into becoming Newtypes or die in the ensuing nuclear winter. His attempt was stopped by his long-time rival Amuro Ray; however, both pilots were lost during the battle.

The conflict was the shortest war in the history of the Universal Century, lasting only 15 days from 27 February to 14 March UC 0093, but resulted in significant casualties and concluded with the Axis Shock, a phenomenon that demonstrated the potential of psycoframe technology.

Prelude

Formation of Londo Bell

In the aftermath of the First Neo Zeon War, the Earth Federation formed the peace-keeping organisation known as Londo Bell on 21 March UC 0090 to prevent uprisings similar to Haman Karn’s movement. Though Londo Bell was instructed to use more passive methods than the Titans, this led to angry sentiments from spacenoids who remembered the atrocities committed by the Titans during the Gryps War.

The organisation was headquartered at Londenion in Side 1 and comprised former AEUG and Karaba members. Bright Noa commanded the force, with mobile suit combat squads led by ace pilot Amuro Ray.

Return of Char Aznable

On 22 December UC 0092, Char Aznable returned from hiding after his disappearance during the Gryps War and declared the creation of the second Neo Zeon. He occupied Sweetwater, a colony filled with refugees from other ravaged colonies, in a bloodless occupation. The citizens welcomed him with open arms, recognising him as a champion of spacenoid independence.

Char’s ideology had evolved since his time with the AEUG. He now believed that humanity could not be trusted to preserve the Earth and that only by forcing mass migration to space could mankind’s evolution into Newtypes be achieved. This radical philosophy would drive his actions throughout the conflict.

The conflict

Declaration of war

On 27 February UC 0093, Char openly declared war on the Earth Federation with the intent of bringing every last human into space to begin their ascension. The Earth Federation responded by building up Londo Bell’s forces under John Bauer’s backing. However, these reinforcements proved insufficient for the scale of Char’s ambitions.

The Earth Federation Forces also relocated their headquarters to Lhasa, Tibet, in anticipation of the conflict. This move would prove prescient, though not sufficient to prevent the coming devastation.

Battle of Fifth Luna

On 3 March UC 0093, Neo Zeon made its first major move by capturing the asteroid Fifth Luna and directing it towards Lhasa, Tibet, where the Earth Federation Forces headquarters was located. Londo Bell received intelligence of this operation and quickly mobilised to intercept and drive Neo Zeon forces away.

However, Londo Bell was initially overwhelmed by Neo Zeon’s superior numbers and tactics until Amuro Ray arrived in the RGZ-91 Re-GZ. He managed to break through Neo Zeon’s defensive screen and reach the engines of Fifth Luna. However, Char Aznable arrived in the MSN-04 Sazabi and engaged Amuro directly, preventing him from stopping the asteroid’s descent.

Despite the Federation having anticipated the attack and relocated their headquarters, Fifth Luna crashed into Tibet, causing massive devastation and forcing numerous evacuations into space. This achieved Char’s immediate goal of demonstrating Neo Zeon’s power and beginning the forced migration of Earth’s population.

Development of the ν Gundam

Disgusted with his failure to prevent the Fifth Luna impact, Amuro worked alongside Anaheim Electronics and his close companion Chan Agi to complete development of the RX-93 ν Gundam. The mobile suit incorporated advanced psycoframe technology, which would prove crucial in the final battle.

Unbeknownst to Amuro at the time, Char had secretly provided some of the psycoframe technology through Anaheim Electronics, desiring to face his rival on equal terms in what he anticipated would be their final confrontation.

Londenion peace talks and skirmish

As refugees fled Earth, Char prepared for secret peace negotiations with the Federation. To ensure the talks proceeded smoothly, he initiated a diversionary attack against Londo Bell forces, allowing him to slip away unnoticed to Londenion in Side 1.

During this diversionary action, Amuro and Chan were forced to launch in the incomplete ν Gundam to aid the Ra Cailum in rescuing a civilian shuttle. Among the passengers was Earth Federation government Vice-Minister Adenauer Paraya, who commandeered the battleship and headed to Londenion colony.

On 6 March UC 0093, a peace agreement was signed between Neo Zeon and the Federation. According to the terms, Neo Zeon would cease attacks on Londo Bell in exchange for the abandoned asteroid Axis. During the negotiations, Amuro and Char encountered each other in the colony, resulting in a brief confrontation. Char was rescued by Gyunei Guss in his RMS-116H Hobby Hizack, who also spirited away Adenauer’s daughter, Quess Paraya.

False surrender and raid on Luna II

On 12 March UC 0093, Neo Zeon prepared to submit to Londo Bell for the ceasefire as agreed. However, this proved to be an elaborate deception. A number of Neo Zeon battleships were revealed to be decoys, allowing the real fleet to reach Axis undetected whilst simultaneously conducting a raid on Luna II.

When Londo Bell forces arrived at the supposed surrender point, Neo Zeon soldiers launched a surprise attack. Among the attackers was Quess Paraya, now using the alias Quess Air and piloting the MSN-03 Jagd Doga. In the confusion, she unknowingly shot down the battleship carrying her father.

The raid on Luna II proved successful, with Neo Zeon forces seizing control of the base’s nuclear weapon stockpile. This action provided Char with the additional firepower needed for his ultimate plan: dropping Axis onto Hong Kong on Earth, then detonating the nuclear missiles before impact to create an endless nuclear winter.

First attempt to destroy Axis

Armed with the remaining nuclear stockpile in Federation possession, Londo Bell made their first attempt to destroy Axis. The plan involved targeting the asteroid’s propulsion systems to prevent its descent towards Earth. However, the battle proved to be a total failure for Londo Bell, as all missiles launched were intercepted and destroyed by Neo Zeon mobile suits.

The engagement resulted in significant casualties for both sides. Londo Bell lost ace pilot Kayra Su, whilst Neo Zeon suffered the death of veteran pilot Rezin Schnyder, who was shot down by a gun turret manned by Chan Agi aboard the Ra Cailum.

Final battle: the Axis drop

Second assault

Regrouping after their initial failure, Londo Bell developed a final desperate plan. They would attempt another missile strike on Axis to destroy the engines, and if that failed, board the asteroid and destroy it from within using conventional explosives placed by infiltration teams in petite mobile suits.

During this second wave of attacks, Quess Paraya joined the battle in the massive NZ-333 α Azieru mobile armor, proving to be a formidable opponent. The psychological strain of combat and her artificial Newtype enhancements made her increasingly unstable and dangerous.

In the ensuing battle, Gyunei Guss, who had been attempting to win Quess’s affections away from Char, was killed by Amuro’s ν Gundam. Londo Bell’s attempts to destroy Axis with nuclear missiles were again thwarted by Char, though one missile managed to penetrate the asteroid’s defenses.

Infiltration and internal destruction

The partial success of the missile attack forced Ra Cailum captain Bright Noa to lead an infiltration team inside Axis to plant conventional explosives. During this operation, Hathaway Noa, Bright’s son, sensed Quess on the battlefield and hijacked an RGM-89 Jegan to confront her.

Chan Agi launched in the damaged Re-GZ to aid Amuro and encountered both Hathaway and Quess. When Hathaway attempted to reason with the increasingly unstable Quess, Chan recognised the danger he was in and attacked the α Azieru, destroying it and killing Quess. Enraged by the death of the girl he loved, Hathaway shot down the Re-GZ, killing Chan in the process.

Meanwhile, Amuro engaged Char in a running battle throughout Axis, using their duel as a distraction to allow Bright’s infiltration team to position their explosives. The nuclear charges successfully detonated, severing Axis in half. However, the rear portion of the asteroid continued its descent towards Earth.

The Axis Shock

In a desperate final attempt to prevent catastrophe, Amuro manoeuvred the ν Gundam to physically push back the remaining half of Axis. As he struggled against the massive asteroid, Char taunted his old rival, believing he had achieved victory through Amuro’s inevitable failure.

However, both Londo Bell and Neo Zeon pilots were moved by Amuro’s self-sacrifice and joined the effort to push back Axis. Their combined efforts proved insufficient until the psycoframe within the ν Gundam began overloading in response to the collective human will to save Earth.

The psycoframe generated a massive release of energy that pushed the soldiers away before creating a brilliant burst of light that tethered the pieces of Axis together and deflected the asteroid away from Earth. This phenomenon, later known as the Axis Shock, demonstrated the true potential of psycoframe technology and the power of human consciousness. Both Amuro and Char disappeared in the light, their ultimate fate unknown.

Aftermath

Immediate consequences

In the immediate aftermath of the Second Neo Zeon War, numerous ace pilots from both sides had lost their lives, including the missing in action Char Aznable and Amuro Ray. The conflict marked the end of their fourteen-year rivalry that had begun during the One Year War.

The Axis Shock phenomenon left a lasting impression on both the scientific community and military planners. The Earth Federation declared a ban on psycoframe research and development in collaboration with Anaheim Electronics, though this prohibition was not strictly enforced.

Political ramifications

The war’s conclusion significantly weakened Neo Zeon as a political movement. Unlike the First Neo Zeon War, which had been hampered by internal power struggles, the second Neo Zeon movement managed to hold together despite Char’s demise. However, without his charismatic leadership, the organisation fragmented into smaller groups.

Side 3 formally returned to the Earth Federation in UC 0100, marking the end of Zeon as an independent political entity. This represented the final dissolution of the original Principality of Zeon’s governmental legacy.

Military developments

Londo Bell remained active well into the UC 0120s, serving as the Federation’s premier special forces unit. The organisation’s experiences during the Second Neo Zeon War influenced subsequent military doctrine and mobile suit development programmes.

The unspent resources and remaining personnel from the Second Neo Zeon War would later be utilised by the next generation of Zeon remnants, who became known as The Sleeves. This group would emerge three years later during the Laplace Incident, also referred to as the Third Neo Zeon War.

Legacy

Historical significance

The Second Neo Zeon War was notable for being the shortest conflict involving Zeon or Neo Zeon forces in Universal Century history, lasting only 15 days from declaration to conclusion. Despite its brief duration, the war resulted in substantial casualties and had far-reaching consequences for the Earth Sphere.

The conflict represented the final direct confrontation between Earth Federation and Zeon ideologies, ending a cycle of wars that had begun with the One Year War in UC 0079. It also marked the end of an era defined by the rivalry between Amuro Ray and Char Aznable.

Technological impact

The Axis Shock demonstrated unprecedented capabilities of psycoframe technology when combined with strong Newtype abilities and collective human will. This event influenced subsequent mobile suit development and led to increased study of Newtype phenomena, despite official restrictions on psycoframe research.

The conflict also proved the effectiveness of Londo Bell’s operational doctrine and the value of veteran personnel in special forces applications. These lessons informed Federation military strategy for decades to come.

Behind the scenes

The Second Neo Zeon War serves as the central conflict of Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack, the first original Gundam theatrical film, released on 12 March 1988. The movie marked the culmination of the original Gundam saga and provided closure to the rivalry between Char Aznable and Amuro Ray.

The conflict’s alternate name, “Char’s Rebellion”, appeared in newer official sources, particularly after the announcement of the “UC NexT 0100 project” in 2018. However, the “Second Neo Zeon War” designation remains widely used within fan communities and other media sources.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack - First appearance
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn - Episode 7 (flashback sequence)

External links

Second Neo Zeon War on the Gundam Wiki
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack on Wikipedia