Suberoa Zinnerman – MechaBay | Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn

Suberoa Zinnerman was a battle-scarred Zeon veteran of the One Year War who served as captain of the Garencieres for the Sleeves organisation during the Laplace’s Box incident in UC 0096.

Zinnerman fought on the African front during the One Year War, where he was captured shortly before Zeon’s surrender. During his imprisonment, Federation occupation forces on Side 3 ruthlessly slaughtered the inhabitants of Globe City, including his wife Fee and daughter Marie. This tragedy shaped the rest of his life and fuelled his continued fight against the Federation as part of Neo Zeon remnant forces.

Years after the war, Zinnerman discovered a traumatised girl in a brothel who had been sold into sexual slavery. Recognising her as one of the Ple clones, he rescued her and adopted her as his daughter, giving her the name “Marie” after his deceased child. This girl became known as Marida Cruz, who served as his loyal subordinate and pilot of the NZ-666 Kshatriya.

Biography

Early life and military service

Suberoa Zinnerman was born in UC 0044 in Globe City on Side 3. In UC 0070, he married Fee Zinnerman, and three years later in UC 0073, they celebrated the birth of their daughter Marie.

When the One Year War began in UC 0079, Zinnerman enlisted as a Lieutenant in the Principality of Zeon forces. He served on the African front, where he fought alongside fellow soldiers Flaste Schole and Gilboa Sant, forging lifelong bonds with these men who would later serve under his command.

Near the end of the war, Zinnerman was captured by Federation officer Vitaly Sokolov and imprisoned alongside his comrades. It was during this imprisonment that the most defining tragedy of his life occurred—Federation occupation forces on Side 3 began systematically persecuting the inhabitants of Globe City, slaughtering its citizens including Zinnerman’s wife and daughter.

Tragedy and transformation

The massacre of his family devastated Zinnerman, but what truly broke him was learning that video footage of their deaths was being circulated. This discovery transformed his grief into an unquenchable desire for revenge against those responsible. After his release from prison, Zinnerman dedicated himself to tracking down the individual who had spread the footage of his family’s death.

His pursuit eventually led him to a brothel, where he discovered a debilitated young girl who had been subjected to horrific abuse. Recognising her as Ple Twelve, one of the surviving clones from Glemy Toto’s Ple series who had been sold into sexual slavery after the First Neo Zeon War, Zinnerman could not abandon her. He rescued the girl and adopted her as his daughter, giving her the name “Marie” after his deceased child. This act of compassion would define his character for the rest of his life.

Service with the Sleeves

After the Gryps War, Zinnerman was charged with protecting Princess Mineva Lao Zabi, the last heir of the Zabi family. By UC 0096, he had risen to become captain of his own ship, the Garencieres, a disguised freighter that served as an infiltration vessel for the Sleeves, a Neo Zeon remnant organisation.

His adoptive daughter, now known as Marida Cruz, served as his most trusted subordinate and pilot of the powerful NZ-666 Kshatriya mobile suit. Despite her abilities and loyalty, she continued to address him as “Master,” which irritated Zinnerman, who saw her as a daughter rather than a subordinate.

The Laplace’s Box incident

In UC 0096, Zinnerman and the Garencieres were dispatched to Side 4’s Industrial 7 colony as envoys of the Sleeves to meet with Vist Foundation leader Cardeas Vist. Their mission was to receive Laplace’s Box, a mysterious object rumoured to hold a secret that could lead to the downfall of the Earth Federation.

The journey to Industrial 7 was complicated when Princess Mineva secretly boarded the Garencieres without permission. En route, they were pursued by a Londo Bell Clop-class cruiser, which dispatched three Jegan mobile suits to intercept them. Zinnerman ordered Marida to sortie in the Kshatriya to deal with the mobile suits while the Garencieres outran the larger Federation vessel.

Upon reaching Industrial 7, the situation became increasingly complex. Zinnerman, accompanied by Flaste Schole and two subordinates, met with Cardeas Vist in person. However, Vist revealed that they were not actually handing over Laplace’s Box itself, but rather its key—the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam.

The meeting was cut short when Federation forces invaded the colony. Suspecting a trap, Zinnerman drew his weapon on Vist, though the businessman denied any deception. During the chaotic escape, Federation commandos killed two of Zinnerman’s subordinates. The captain and Schole managed to escape via Geara Zulu transport, signalling Marida to retreat.

Serving Full Frontal

Back aboard the Garencieres, Zinnerman faced criticism from Lieutenant Angelo Sauper for failing to retrieve Laplace’s Box or Princess Mineva. When Captain Full Frontal learned that Marida had fought a Gundam, he ordered Zinnerman to locate the Federation mothership Nahel Argama, believing it carried the key to Laplace’s Box.

The Garencieres successfully located the Nahel Argama by tricking it into destroying a derelict Salamis-class cruiser, exposing its location among the colony debris. This allowed Full Frontal’s forces to attack and ultimately capture the Unicorn Gundam when it sortied to face Full Frontal’s Sinanju.

When they returned to the asteroid base Palau, Zinnerman’s crew successfully extracted the Unicorn’s pilot, who turned out to be a civilian named Banagher Links. After interrogating the young man, Zinnerman and Marida brought him before Full Frontal, who commended Zinnerman for his successful mission.

Relationship with Banagher Links

Initially viewing Banagher as merely an enemy pilot, Zinnerman’s perspective gradually changed as he witnessed the young man’s genuine concern for others and his principles. During their forced trek across the desert after the Garencieres crashed on Earth, Zinnerman came to respect Banagher’s character, even sharing his philosophy that he didn’t trust anyone who never cried.

This relationship became more complex when Banagher confronted Zinnerman about his hypocrisy—allowing Zeon remnants to attack Torrington Base and potentially harm civilians, despite his own family having been victims of similar violence. Banagher’s passionate argument, delivered even while at gunpoint, forced Zinnerman to confront the contradictions in his actions and ultimately influenced his decision to turn away from the path of revenge.

Personality and character

Suberoa Zinnerman was a man defined by tragedy yet capable of great compassion. The loss of his family transformed him from a soldier into a man driven by a desire for justice, though this often manifested as a thirst for revenge against the Federation. Despite his battle-scarred exterior and sometimes harsh demeanour, Zinnerman possessed a fundamentally caring nature, as evidenced by his rescue and adoption of Marida Cruz.

He was known for his tactical acumen and leadership abilities, commanding the respect and loyalty of his crew through both competence and genuine concern for their welfare. Zinnerman believed in leading by example and taking responsibility for his subordinates’ actions and safety.

One of his defining characteristics was his belief that “crying because you care is an entirely different matter” and that he didn’t trust anyone who never cried. This philosophy reflected his understanding that true strength came not from suppressing emotion, but from acknowledging it and channelling it constructively.

Zinnerman struggled with the contradiction between his desire for revenge against the Federation and his protective instincts towards the innocent. This internal conflict became particularly pronounced during his interactions with Banagher Links, whose idealism and genuine concern for others forced Zinnerman to confront the moral implications of his actions.

Skills and abilities

As a veteran of the One Year War, Zinnerman possessed extensive military experience and tactical knowledge. His service on the African front provided him with combat experience and the ability to adapt to challenging environments, skills that served him well as captain of the Garencieres.

His leadership abilities were evident in the loyalty and respect he commanded from his crew, many of whom had served with him since the One Year War. Zinnerman was skilled at reading people and situations, allowing him to navigate the complex political landscape of the post-war period and the various factions within the Zeon remnants.

While not a mobile suit pilot himself in UC 0096, Zinnerman understood mobile suit tactics and was capable of coordinating mobile suit operations effectively. His strategic thinking and ability to remain calm under pressure made him an effective ship captain and military leader.

Relationships

Marida Cruz

The relationship between Zinnerman and Marida Cruz was one of the most significant aspects of his character. Having rescued her from sexual slavery and adopted her as his daughter, Zinnerman genuinely cared for Marida as family rather than merely a subordinate. However, due to her traumatic past and conditioning as a Ple clone, Marida continued to address him as “Master” and viewed herself primarily as a weapon to be used.

Zinnerman’s frustration with Marida’s inability to see herself as more than a tool reflected his desire for her to experience a normal life and find happiness. He often showed her pictures of his deceased daughter Marie, telling Marida that if Marie had lived, she would have been the same age. This comparison was both comforting and painful for both of them, as it represented the family they had lost and the family they had found in each other.

Princess Mineva Lao Zabi

As Mineva’s protector, Zinnerman maintained a respectful but sometimes strained relationship with the young princess. He recognised her political importance to the Zeon cause but also came to understand her desire for peace rather than continued conflict. Zinnerman’s evolution from viewing Mineva primarily as a political symbol to respecting her as an individual paralleled his own journey away from blind revenge.

Banagher Links

Initially enemies, Zinnerman’s relationship with Banagher Links evolved significantly throughout the Laplace’s Box incident. Banagher’s idealism and genuine concern for others, including his enemies, gradually earned Zinnerman’s respect. The young pilot’s confrontation with Zinnerman about the moral contradictions in his actions served as a catalyst for the captain’s own moral awakening.

Zinnerman came to see in Banagher the kind of person his own daughter might have become—someone who fought not out of hatred but out of a genuine desire to protect others and prevent suffering.

Equipment

As captain of the Garencieres, Zinnerman had access to various personal weapons and equipment typical of a Zeon officer. He was typically armed with a sidearm and wore the standard uniform of the Sleeves organisation. The Garencieres itself, disguised as a civilian freighter, was his primary responsibility and the platform from which he conducted his operations.

While not a mobile suit pilot during the events of UC 0096, Zinnerman’s military background suggested he likely had training in mobile suit operation from his service during the One Year War, though he served primarily in a command and coordination role aboard ship.

Behind the scenes

Suberoa Zinnerman was voiced by Hideaki Tezuka in the Japanese version of Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn. Tezuka brought a gravelly, world-weary quality to the character that perfectly captured Zinnerman’s battle-scarred nature and the weight of his tragic past. In the English dub, the character was voiced by Michael Alston Baley in most versions, with J. David Brimmer providing the voice in some releases.

The character was created by novelist Harutoshi Fukui for the Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn light novel series, with character designs by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko. Zinnerman’s design reflects his status as a battle-hardened veteran, with scars and weathered features that speak to his experiences during the One Year War and its aftermath.

Zinnerman’s story arc represents one of the central themes of Gundam Unicorn—the cycle of violence and revenge that perpetuates conflict, and the possibility of breaking that cycle through understanding and compassion. His relationship with Marida Cruz serves as a counterpoint to the purely military relationships seen elsewhere in the series, showing how human connections can transcend the boundaries of war and politics.

The character’s name “Suberoa” may be derived from “Subaru,” reflecting the practice in Gundam series of using automotive references for character names. His surname “Zinnerman” likely references the historical Zimmermann Telegram, which played a role in drawing the United States into World War I, fitting with the series’ themes of political intrigue and warfare.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096
Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (novel)
SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3

External links

Suberoa Zinnerman on the Gundam Wiki
Suberoa Zinnerman on Wikipedia