Sleggar Law

Sleggar Law (スレッガー・ロウ, Sureggā Rōu) was a lieutenant junior grade in the Earth Federation Forces who served as a pilot aboard the assault carrier White Base during the One Year War. An experienced ace pilot and skilled gunner, he was assigned to the ship as it departed from Jaburo to replace the fallen Ryu Jose.

Biography

Assignment to White Base

Sleggar Law joined the White Base crew in November UC 0079 as the ship prepared to depart from Jaburo for its mission to attack the Principality of Zeon fortress of Solomon. The Federation assigned him to fill the pilot position left vacant by Ryu Jose’s death, bringing much-needed combat experience to the predominantly young crew.

Initially, Sleggar displayed a condescending attitude towards the White Base’s young crew members, viewing them as inexperienced children thrust into an adult’s war. His brash personality and flirtatious behaviour initially put him at odds with some crew members. However, as he witnessed their competence and dedication in battle, he gradually developed genuine respect for their abilities and courage.

As an ace pilot with years of combat experience, Sleggar brought a veteran’s perspective to the crew. His natural charisma and confident demeanour made him popular with the younger crew members, who looked up to him as an elder brother figure. Unlike most of the crew, who had been forced into military service by circumstances, Sleggar was a career soldier who understood the harsh realities of war.

Combat service

Sleggar’s primary role aboard the White Base was piloting the G-Fighter, a versatile support aircraft that could operate independently or combine with the RX-78-2 Gundam to form the G-Armor. He also served as a gunner for the ship’s main cannon, demonstrating remarkable accuracy in ship-to-ship combat. Sleggar was the only character in the series to score direct hits with the White Base’s main guns during naval engagements.

His piloting skills proved invaluable during the ship’s journey through space. He frequently sortied in the G-Fighter to provide air support for the Gundam and other mobile suits, engaging Zeon mobile suits and mobile armors with considerable success. His experience and tactical knowledge helped guide the younger pilots during complex operations.

Relationship with Mirai Yashima

Sleggar’s most significant personal relationship developed with Mirai Yashima, the White Base’s helmsman. Initially, he pursued her with his characteristic confidence and charm, as he did with other female crew members. However, their relationship deepened during the ship’s visit to Side 6, where they encountered Mirai’s estranged fiancé, Cameron Bloom.

When Mirai reacted angrily to Cameron’s proposal that she leave the White Base and remain with him in the neutral colony, Sleggar intervened decisively. Believing that Mirai was being irrational and ungrateful for Cameron’s efforts to help the ship, Sleggar slapped her and forced her to recognise that Cameron was genuinely trying to save them all. This moment of brutal honesty broke through the emotional barriers between Mirai and Cameron, though it also marked the beginning of Sleggar’s romantic feelings for Mirai.

Despite their growing attraction, Sleggar ultimately rejected the possibility of a deeper relationship with Mirai. He believed that she was “too wonderful” for someone like him and deserved better than a soldier whose life expectancy was uncertain. His self-deprecating attitude masked deeper feelings of inadequacy and his recognition that war offered no guarantee of survival.

Final battle and sacrifice

As the Federation prepared for the assault on Solomon, Sleggar’s romance with Mirai reached its emotional climax. Knowing that he might not survive the upcoming battle, he gave her a ring that had belonged to his mother, asking her to keep it safe. This gesture represented not only his love for her but also his acceptance that their relationship had no future.

During the Battle of Solomon on 31 December UC 0079, Sleggar made the ultimate sacrifice. When Dozle Zabi sortied in the massive MA-08 Big Zam mobile armor, its overwhelming firepower and defensive I-field barrier threatened to destroy the entire Federation fleet. The Big Zam’s I-field rendered beam weapons ineffective at long range, making it nearly invulnerable to conventional attack.

Recognising the desperate situation, Sleggar devised a kamikaze attack to disable the Big Zam’s defences. He flew his G-Fighter directly into the massive mobile armor’s underside, severely damaging its I-field generator and creating an opening for Amuro Ray to destroy it with the Gundam. The impact killed Sleggar instantly, but his sacrifice enabled the Federation to achieve victory at Solomon.

Personality and relationships

Sleggar exhibited a complex personality that evolved throughout his service aboard the White Base. Initially presenting himself as a confident, swaggering ladies’ man, he gradually revealed deeper layers of maturity, wisdom, and self-sacrifice. His flirtatious behaviour masked a genuine care for others and a willingness to make difficult decisions when necessary.

Despite his sometimes crude humour and casual attitude towards military protocol, Sleggar possessed a strong sense of duty and responsibility. He understood the weight of command and the burden of making life-and-death decisions. His intervention in Mirai’s relationship with Cameron demonstrated his ability to see past personal feelings to what was truly important.

Sleggar’s relationship with the younger crew members was particularly significant. He served as both mentor and protector, offering guidance based on his combat experience whilst maintaining the morale of those around him. His confidence and competence provided stability during the most dangerous moments of their journey.

His romantic feelings for Mirai revealed a more vulnerable side of his character. Despite his reputation as a confident womaniser, he genuinely fell in love with Mirai but recognised that their different backgrounds and his dangerous profession made a lasting relationship impossible. His decision to give her his mother’s ring before the final battle represented both his love and his acceptance of his likely fate.

Skills and abilities

As an ace pilot, Sleggar possessed exceptional flying skills that made him invaluable to the White Base operations. His ability to pilot multiple aircraft types, from the G-Fighter to various Federation fighters, demonstrated his versatility and training. He could adapt quickly to new situations and make split-second decisions in combat.

His gunnery skills were equally impressive. As the only crew member to successfully target enemy ships with the White Base’s main cannon, he demonstrated remarkable accuracy and timing. This ability proved crucial during several engagements where precision fire was necessary to disable enemy vessels without causing excessive collateral damage.

Sleggar’s experience in combined operations made him particularly effective when working with mobile suit pilots. He understood how to coordinate fighter support with mobile suit operations, providing cover fire and tactical support that enhanced the effectiveness of the entire combat team.

Mecha and equipment

G-Fighter

Sleggar’s primary aircraft was the G-Fighter, a revolutionary support fighter developed as part of Project V. The G-Fighter could operate independently as a heavily armed fighter aircraft or combine with the RX-78-2 Gundam to form the G-Armor configuration. In this combined mode, the Gundam’s mobility and firepower were significantly enhanced.

The G-Fighter was equipped with twin beam cannons and could carry additional weapons depending on mission requirements. Sleggar demonstrated mastery of both independent and combined operations, seamlessly transitioning between roles as the tactical situation demanded.

FF-X7-Bst Core Booster

In the compilation movies, Sleggar piloted the FF-X7-Bst Core Booster, which replaced the G-Fighter in the revised continuity. The Core Booster provided similar capabilities with enhanced realism and performance. It featured improved beam cannons and could dock with the FF-X7 Core Fighter for enhanced combat capability.

Sleggar’s unit was designated “005” to distinguish it from Sayla Mass’s unit “006”. He used the Core Booster in the same kamikaze attack against the Big Zam, ramming it into the mobile armor’s underside to disable its defensive systems.

Other equipment

Beyond his primary aircraft, Sleggar was qualified to operate the White Base’s main cannon systems. His skill with heavy weapons made him an effective backup gunner when the ship’s regular weapons crew was unavailable or when precision fire was required.

Behind the scenes

Sleggar Law was created by director Yoshiyuki Tomino, who envisioned the character as resembling Sylvester Stallone from the film Rocky. Character designer Yoshikazu Yasuhiko initially had difficulty creating the character because he had not seen the film at the time.

The character’s name is an anagram of “all swagger”, which aptly describes his confident personality and introduction to the series. This linguistic wordplay reflects the character’s boastful nature and his role as a larger-than-life figure among the White Base crew.

Sleggar’s character served as inspiration for Roy Focker in The Super Dimension Fortress Macross. Director Noburo Ishiguro stated in an interview that Roy Focker was “like a son of Sleggar Law,” created because Ishiguro admired Sleggar’s character and wanted someone similar in Macross with a more significant role in the story.

Voice actors

In the original television series, Sleggar was voiced by Tessho Genda in Japanese. For the compilation movies, Makio Inoue took over the role, bringing a different interpretation to the character. Makio Inoue continued to voice Sleggar in subsequent Gundam media until his death in 2019.

English voice actors for Sleggar have included Fred Henderson, Steve Apostolina, and Dan Gascon across different productions and video games.

Alternative continuities

In the strategy game Mobile Suit Gundam: Gihren’s Greed, if Sleggar survives the One Year War, he appears in the second half of the game as a member of the AEUG alongside his former White Base compatriots. He wears a Zeta Gundam-era pilot suit in blue, his personal colour, and retains his carefree personality seven years later.

Several Super Robot Wars games allow players to prevent Sleggar’s canonical death by not deploying him during stages that recreate the assault on the Big Zam. However, in Super Robot Wars GC, he never begins his suicide attack even if deployed, allowing him to survive throughout the entire game.

Legacy

Sleggar Law’s brief but impactful appearance in Mobile Suit Gundam established him as one of the series’ most memorable supporting characters. His sacrifice at the Battle of Solomon demonstrated the costs of war and the heroism of ordinary soldiers who make extraordinary sacrifices.

His relationship with Mirai Yashima added emotional depth to the series, showing how personal relationships develop and end in wartime. The ring he gave her became a symbol of their brief romance and his recognition that some connections transcend death.

The character’s influence extended beyond Gundam to inspire similar characters in other mecha anime, particularly Roy Focker in Macross. This demonstrates how well-crafted supporting characters can have lasting impact on an entire genre.

Appearances

• Mobile Suit Gundam (episodes 23-42)
• Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow
• Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space
• Dynasty Warriors: Gundam (series)
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme vs (series)
• Super Robot Wars (series)

External links

• Sleggar Law on the Gundam Wiki
• Sleggar Law on Behind the Voice Actors